Shield Republic Case Study
Shield Republic, a fast-growing eCommerce brand known for its made-to-order apparel, was seeing strong domestic success but lacked a scalable solution for international shipping. High duties, limited marketing to non-U.S. consumers, and complicated cross-border logistics made it difficult to justify investment in international growth. Shipping to countries like Canada and the UK felt cost-prohibitive, and customer expectations for delivery times and affordability were hard to meet. Without a trusted logistics partner, Shield Republic risked losing out on a growing global audience.
Challenges included:
Lacking Global Scale
The unknown, risk of errors, delays, and compliance issues and the confidence to scale
Confusion Around Global Delivery
Lack of knowledge on how to enter a new international market
Fear of Unknown Costs
Lack of visibility into the total landed cost of a product when shipped globally
Brand Reputation
Fears of losing customers if delivery is unreliable
APC Postal Logistics partnered with Shield Republic to streamline and optimize their international shipping operations. Through seamless integrations with Shopify and ShipStation, Shield Republic gained real-time visibility into shipping rates and delivery options, allowing them to offer more delivery choices and competitive pricing to international customers. APC’s Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) solution became a key driver, cutting end-consumer costs by $1–$5 per package and helping Shield Republic avoid cart abandonment and their Consumer from surprise duty/tax charges upon receipt.
Key elements of the solution include:
Seamless Integration
Integrating with Shield’s core shipping and shopping cart platforms to simplify processing, improve visibility, and increase production speed.
Dedicated Support
Personalized account management delivering global expertise to configure new markets, test strategies, launch effectively, and scale growth.
No Hidden Fees
Attractive and transparent cross-border costs with dependable margins to market internationally and build a global brand.
Reliable Delivery
Fast, reliable Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) service that reduces support costs and creates a better consumer experience.
Before working with APC, international orders made up a very small percentage of total shipments. Today, Shield has experienced over 400% growth for all Shield Republic’s Brands. Their brand “Let’s Get This Thread” saw an over 1000% increase percent of orders going to global customers, primarily in Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Ivy and Cloth has also grown internationally with a 500% increase of orders shipped to Canada.
International customers consistently place higher-value orders and show strong loyalty. The results show a measurable difference in average order value and lifetime value.
Shield Republic saves an average of five to six dollars on every international package by using APC’s DDP service.
Integrated tools and automation have simplified operations, reduced manual tasks, and improved delivery consistency. Fulfillment is now more efficient.
Customer support teams are better equipped to resolve inquiries quickly.
With improved delivery performance, lower costs, and better visibility, Shield Republic has expanded advertising and sales efforts internationally. They now use APC’s delivery solution across their third-party logistics business, passing on savings and better service to their own clients.
