METHODS AND SYSTEMS IN EVALUATING AND SELECTING A COMBINATION OF SHIPPING PACKAGES

1 . A system providing packaging evaluations, comprising:

an evaluation control circuit and memory coupled to the control circuit storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to:

for each of multiple different distribution facilities:

identify a fixed number of different shipping package sizes to be available at the distribution facility;

identify multiple different potential packaging combinations from a plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes, wherein the different potential packaging combinations each have the corresponding fixed number of the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes, and the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes is greater than the corresponding fixed number;

evaluate each of the multiple potential packaging combinations for each of thousands of historic order shipments fulfilled from the distribution facility over one or more predefined periods of time based on the product dimensions of each product in each product order relative to an interior dimension of one or more of the shipment packages of the potential packaging combination being evaluated;

obtain a utilization rate of each of the multiple packaging combinations based on the evaluation of each of the thousands of historic order shipments;

identify two or more of the multiple potential packaging combinations that satisfy a utilization threshold corresponding to the utilization rates, and identify a predicted cost to acquire and utilize each of the identified two or more potential packaging combinations; and

select a first potential packaging combination of the multiple potential packaging combinations satisfying the utilization threshold and having a lowest predicted utilization cost.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit in obtaining the utilization rate of each of the multiple potential packaging combinations is further configured to:

obtain, for each order shipment evaluated for each potential package combination, predicted order shipment utilization rates defining a percentage of an interior volume of a selected shipping package size of a potential packaging combination being evaluated that would have been utilized in shipping the products of an order shipment; and

obtain an average of the predicted order shipment utilization rates for each of the multiple potential packaging combinations.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit in evaluating each of the multiple potential packaging combinations is further configured to identify a first shipping package that has a length, width, and depth that are greater than: a greatest length any of the one or more products of the order shipment being evaluated, a greatest width of any of the one or more products of the order shipment being evaluated, and a greatest depth of any of the one or more products of the order shipment being evaluated.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the control circuit in evaluating each of the multiple potential packaging combinations is further configured to identify the first shipping package that further has an interior volume greater than a sum of volumes of all of the products of the order shipment being evaluated.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to group the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes into multiple different groups according to size, and in the identifying multiple different potential packaging combinations further identifies a limited subset of the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes from which the multiple potential packaging combinations are identified such that each potential packaging combination includes at least one shipping packaging size from each of the multiple different groups.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the control circuit in grouping the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes defines a number of groups equal to the fixed number of different shipping package sizes to be available at the distribution facility.

7 . A method of evaluating package combinations, comprising:

by an evaluation control circuit:

for each of multiple different distribution facilities:

identifying a fixed number of different shipping package sizes to be available at the distribution facility;

identifying multiple different potential packaging combinations from a plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes, wherein the different potential packaging combinations each have the corresponding fixed number of the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes, and the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes is greater than the corresponding fixed number;

evaluating each of the multiple potential packaging combinations for each of thousands of historic order shipments fulfilled from the distribution facility over one or more predefined periods of time based on the product dimensions of each product in each product order relative to an interior dimension of one or more of the shipment packages of the potential packaging combination being evaluated;

obtaining a utilization rate of each of the multiple packaging combinations based on the evaluation of each of the thousands of historic order shipments;

identifying two or more of the multiple potential packaging combinations that satisfy a utilization threshold corresponding to the utilization rates, and identify a predicted cost to acquire and utilize each of the identified two or more potential packaging combinations; and

selecting a first potential packaging combination of the multiple potential packaging combinations satisfying the utilization threshold and having a lowest predicted utilization cost.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the obtaining the utilization rate of each of the multiple potential packaging combinations further comprises:

obtaining, for each order shipment evaluated for each potential package combination, predicted order shipment utilization rates defining a percentage of an interior volume of a selected shipping package size of a potential packaging combination being evaluated that would have been utilized in shipping the products of an order shipment; and

obtaining an average of the predicted order shipment utilization rates for each of the multiple potential packaging combinations.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the evaluating each of the multiple potential packaging combinations further comprises:

identifying a first shipping package that has a length, width, and depth that are greater than: a greatest length any of the one or more products of the order shipment being evaluated, a greatest width of any of the one or more products of the order shipment being evaluated, and a greatest depth of any of the one or more products of the order shipment being evaluated.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the evaluating each of the multiple potential packaging combinations further comprises:

identifying the first shipping package that further has an interior volume greater than a sum of volumes of all of the products of the order shipment being evaluated.

11 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

grouping the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes into multiple different groups according to size;

wherein the identifying the multiple different potential packaging combinations further comprises identifying a limited subset of the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes from which the multiple potential packaging combinations are identified such that each potential packaging combination includes at least one shipping packaging size from each of the multiple different groups.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the grouping the plurality of different available shipping packaging sizes comprises defining a number of groups equal to the fixed number of different shipping package sizes to be available at the distribution facility.