Shipping Research

Ongoing Research

Colography has been running ongoing longitudinal shipping/transportation market research for 30+ years

Colography's National Survey

Started in 1993, Colography’s annual National Survey of U.S. Expedited Cargo remains the largest survey of its kind ever undertaken in our industry. Capturing the rich variety of shipping needs and behaviors for hundreds of thousands of businesses in a massive time-series database, factoring in company size and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes classifications, the National Survey is unparalleled in its breadth, depth and scope.

  • Shipping Profiling (Volume/Frequency)
  • Market Sizing
  • Package Characteristics (Type/Weight/Size)
  • Modal Distribution (Air/Ground/LTL/FTL/Rail/Cargo/Other)
  • Timeline Used (Overnight/1-Day/2-Day/Other)
  • Actual Time in Transit (TnT)
  • Geographic Trends (Origin/Destination) & Shipping Lanes
  • B2B/B2C Splits
  • Cross Border Trends

No other firm engages business shippers on a daily basis like we do. We connect with 30,000-50,000 business shippers every year. For 30+ years, the National Survey stands as the cornerstone for all of our services.

Returns Logistics Survey

Building on the success of the National Survey, Colography's Returns Logistics Survey focuses on emerging trends in the B2C returns logistics space, allowing organizations large and small to stay abreast of market trends and forces.

  • Market Size/Growth/Trends
  • Returns Product Type Shares
  • Return Methods Shares
  • Carrier Market Share for Returns

Colography's Returns Logistics Survey provides our clients ongoing insight into the sometimes chaotic returns space, giving them a competitive advantage with their customers, without breaking the bank.

Platform Survey

Colography's newest ongoing research instrument, the Platform Survey, focuses on shipping platform/marketplace use for B2B and B2C shippers, allowing carriers and shippers alike to keep on top of market trends and usage patterns.

  • Products and Service Offerings
  • Carrier Rate Analysis
  • Target Customers/Industries
  • SWOT Analysis

Colography's Platform Survey provides our clients ongoing insight into the technological trends and driving factors in how shippers choose to engage carriers.

Tailored Research

In addition to ongoing research, Colography offers tailored research to get you the answers you need, when you need them

Hinged Surveys

Colography's Hinge Surveys are extensions of our National Survey that offer a deep-dive into a specific topic of choice, giving our clients unparalleled access to data and insights across a variety of topics, while maintaining the statistical veracity of the National Survey's methodology, on a cost-effective and time-sensitive basis. Sample Hinge Surveys include:

  • U.S. Exports
  • U.S. Imports
  • U.S. Cross-Border
  • LTL Freight
  • Cargo Freight

Hinged Surveys present a cost-effective means to adapt to specific client needs on the level of detail and timing, ensuring we deliver quality results on time and on budget for our clients.

Supplemental Surveys

Colography's Supplemental Surveys are aimed at providing an in-depth look at a topic of choice, outside the boundaries of the National Survey. For clients desiring custom or proprietary research on a specific aspect of the shipping/transportation market, we provide unparalleled survey customization. From design to execution to analysis to reporting, we do it all. Recent Supplemental Surveys conducted on behalf of our clients include:

  • Government Shipping
  • Customer Value
  • Same Day Shipping
  • Last Mile Trends

Supplemental Surveys are a bespoke market research option to address specific client needs not met by our standard survey instruments, allowing an unparalleled degree of freedom in shipping market research.

Ready to take your business to the next level? Check out our Featured Research or Connect with Us today!