Tariffs, loyalty and leaky freight contracts: it’s all fair game in this episode.
Justin Irvine, co-founder of The Aggregate Co, is the guy you call when you want to stop leaking margin and start making ops your unfair advantage. With decades of experience across freight, logistics and ecommerce fulfilment (and a few Brad Pitt references for good measure), Justin joins us live at Retail Fest to spill some hard truths and clever fixes.
We talk through the madness of US tariffs, the margins hiding in your freight contracts, and how to turn post-purchase into a loyalty engine. If you’ve ever felt personally victimised by your shipping invoice, here’s a couple things Justin wants you to know.
Know your cost to serve
If you’re still using percentages, you’re probably wrong.
Justin doesn’t mince words: if you don’t know your actual unit economics, you’re guessing. Cost to warehouse, cost to pick and pack, cost to ship, all of it needs to be tracked at a SKU level, not just dumped into a “3PL % of revenue” spreadsheet column.
He’s seen it all. From fashion brands paying double what they thought due to cubic volume miscalculations, to ecommerce GMs relying on ChatGPT logistics prompts and wondering why costs are out of control.
💥KEY TAKEAWAY: It’s not glamorous work, but it’s the backbone of profitable growth. If you want to scale, this is where you start.
Loyalty through logistics
Justin flips the loyalty conversation completely. Forget points. Forget “refer a friend, get $10 off.” He’s helping brands use fulfilment perks to reward their best customers in ways that feel elite. Same-day delivery for VIPs. In-store showroom appointments with Uber pickups. Surprise perks that feel more Louis Vuitton than budget beauty box.
It’s what Amazon Prime figured out years ago: operational perks are stickier than points. And Justin’s showing local brands how to pull it off without blowing the budget. Want to stand out in a market full of 10% off codes? Make your top-tier customers feel special after they buy. Don’t discount; delight. It’s not the same (read that again).
Check your freight contract
⚠️ Spoiler Alert: you’re probably paying too much.
So this was the moment where Bushy dropped the mic. Justin explained how ecommerce brands often pay 2 or 3x what they think they’re paying for freight. Why? Because they’re charged on cubic volume, not gross weight. And those oversized branded boxes aren’t doing you any favours.
✋ REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE: Think of a humble hat. It might weigh 200 grams, but if you ship it in a box three times its size, you’re paying for the cube, not the grams. That’s how your $1.50 linehaul rate turns into $4 without you realising. Multiply that by thousands of parcels, and it’s not just inefficiency, it’s profit disappearing into thin air.
Most teams don’t even realise they’re on cubic contracts. They’re negotiating blind, missing volume incentives, and losing margin on every parcel. Justin breaks down how to audit your agreement, push carriers on forecasts, and (in his words) “make the parcel go far, not perfect”. (Second mic drop moment right here).
From chaos to clarity
Justin Irvine isn’t here for the hype. He’s here to make ecommerce operators smarter, sharper and more profitable. Whether he’s helping Aussie brands land in the US, fix a loyalty strategy, or just finally figure out what their shipping is costing them, his approach is refreshingly real and razor-focused.In an era of AI tools, viral playbooks and constant noise, Justin’s message is simple: know your numbers, use your operations, and don’t let your margin walk out the door with every parcel.
Turns Out, Ops Matters
Justin’s not one to chase shiny objects or talk in buzzwords, he’s way too busy fixing real problems for some of Australia’s biggest ecommerce brands. We’re talking Meshki, Showpo, Oz Hair, Culture Kings… the kind of retailers where fulfilment speed and margins actually matter.
Through The Aggregate Co, Justin’s helping these teams untangle their ops spaghetti, one cubic contract, loyalty perk and warehouse process at a time. No fluff. Just sharp insights, cleaner systems, and the kind of common sense that makes you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Because in a world full of growth hacks and AI-generated hot takes, sometimes what your business really needs… is a guy who can make your hat cost less to ship.
🎧 Catch the full episode with Justin Irvine, live now on Add To Cart:
