The Box Problem That Sparked a Retail Revolution

In the world of online shopping, few images are as familiar — or as overlooked — as the pile of delivery boxes at your doorstep. But for Ashish Burugpalli, a Data Science and Supply Chain expert, that everyday sight sparked a massive rethink in retail fulfillment. "Every extra box isn't just wasteful — it's a symptom of inefficiency, poor data, and lost opportunity," he shared during a recent conversation.

Inside the company, the problem wasn’t a lack of sophisticated logistics; it was bad data. "We found that a shocking percentage of our product dimensions were either outdated or missing," Burugpalli explained. "That one flaw rippled across everything — from packing decisions to warehouse workflows."

He led a comprehensive SKU-level audit, correcting dimensional inaccuracies across tens of thousands of products. But the real breakthrough came after. With clean data in place, Burugpalli and his team developed a bespoke Bin Packing model designed to simulate optimal packaging scenarios. “We didn’t just want theoretical efficiency,” he said. “We built something grounded in our operational chaos — from fragility flags to warehouse picking paths.”

The model, rooted in established algorithms like First Fit Decreasing, learned from historical order patterns and the realities of physical logistics. But it hit an unexpected wall: inventory distribution. “You can pack brilliantly on paper, but if two items are stored in warehouses a thousand miles apart, you’re still going to ship two boxes,” he said.

So the team expanded the project’s scope to tackle inventory placement. Frequently bundled items were relocated to the same fulfillment centers, enabling the model’s full potential. The impact was swift — an 8% drop in boxes for multi-item orders, saving $8 million annually and cutting packaging waste by 12%. The environmental payoff? Over 1,200 metric tons of CO₂ emissions avoided every year.

"This was more than a cost-cutting play,” Burugpalli noted. “It was a signal that sustainable operations can drive real business value.”

What began as a niche technical fix evolved into a broader operational blueprint. As regulations tighten and consumers demand greener practices, Burugpalli believes that “data-led efficiency isn't just smart — it’s going to be survival.” For his company, at least, that future is already in motion — box by optimized box.