WATERLOO, ON – In the world of logistics and supply chain technology, Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes helps product sellers and 3PLs eliminate friction between online demand and physical fulfillment so they can grow profitably.
“In the ecommerce space, we build, acquire, and consolidate the world’s best e-commerce operations software,” explains Mikel Richardson, general manager, Ecommerce North America. “Our technology portfolio includes solutions for shipping, inventory, and order and warehouse management to help sellers with real-world problems like Amazon and Walmart marketplace compliance, underselling and overselling inventory, and optimizing warehouse and fulfillment costs.”
Prosper Pathway sat down with Richardson to learn more about the state of the industry, as well as the vast suite of solutions provided by Descartes (a Prosper 2026 exhibitor).
Prosper Pathway: How would you describe the year?
Richardson: It has been a challenging macro environment overall, but product sellers are incredibly resilient, and things seem to be settling into a new normal. Sellers are managing volatile costs, tariffs, and shifting consumer demand. For us, that’s meant high engagement with customers looking to automate complexity. It’s been a year of operational intensity, but also real innovation and creativity.
Prosper Pathway: How can your logistics technology platform help online sellers deal with the “tariff whiplash” of 2025?
Richardson: We help them adjust operations to changing conditions. Examples include things like using our decisioning engines to reroute products or orders through lower cost fulfillment options, enabling purchasing with new vendors, spinning up new warehouse locations or connectivity to new 3PLs. Our e-commerce division focuses on operational flexibility and resilience.
Prosper Pathway: What is the biggest misconception about logistics technology?
Richardson: That it’s just about moving boxes faster or cheaper. The winners in e-commerce aren’t those who ship fastest, but those who can adapt and manage complexity best. That’s where logistics technology truly creates leverage.
Prosper Pathway: What would you say to online sellers hesitant to explore logistics technology?
Richardson: Complexity compounds as you grow and the longer you wait to get started, the harder it will be to address it. Start small and start now. If you see your current logistics technology as a cost center, then it is not the right tech for your business. Any tech, ours or others, should come with a significant payback. Even automating a few manual shipping or inventory workflows can unlock immediate ROI and data clarity that pays dividends long-term.
Prosper Pathway: Why did you decide to exhibit at Prosper Show 2026?
Richardson: Prosper attracts forward-thinking e-commerce sellers and solution providers, and that is the same audience we’re waking up every day to solve problems for. The Ecommerce division of Descartes helps brands and merchants operate complex e-commerce operations efficiently, connecting everything from inventory and sales channels to warehouse operations, fulfillment, accounting automation, and marketplace compliance. Prosper is a great venue to hear folks’ challenges firsthand and help them solve them. It is about meeting sellers where they are and showing how logistics technology can help them adapt to challenging market dynamics and drive profitable growth.
Prosper Pathway: What is your level of optimism about the future of online selling?
Richardson: Cautiously optimistic. Sellers who focus on operational discipline, customer experience, and compliance will thrive. The fundamentals of e-commerce are still strong: consumers want to be able to buy what they want, when they want, and get it wherever they are. The future belongs to those who can adapt quickly and grow profitably.
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