In home furnishings, the customer experience doesn’t end at the point of sale; it often begins there. Delivery, communication, scheduling, and service interactions all shape how customers feel about the brands they buy from. Recognizing a company that has helped retailers transform this critical stage of the journey, the Home Furnishings Association names Package.ai as the 2026 HFA Partner of the Year.
The award celebrates a non-retail partner that has actively supported HFA members, contributed to retailer success, and demonstrated what true partnership looks like across the industry. Package.ai stood out for its deep commitment to the home furnishings sector and its innovative approach to solving one of the industry’s most complex challenges: the last mile of delivery and post-purchase communication. “We’re humbled and proud to be named HFA Partner of the Year,” said Ziv Fass, founder and CEO of Package.ai. “From the beginning, our focus has been on solving one of the home furnishings industry’s most significant challenges, transforming the last-mile delivery experience. Our partnership with HFA has been an important part of that journey, helping us support retailers in creating post-purchase experiences rooted in empathy and trust.”
Built Specifically for Home Furnishings
Many logistics technologies attempt to serve multiple industries. Package.ai took a different approach. From the start, the company focused specifically on the unique operational challenges of home furnishings retailers, from large and bulky items, scheduled deliveries, multi-step logistics coordination, to high expectations for communication and care. Serving home furnishings retailers is not just a market segment; it’s their core business strategy. Package.ai’s platform brings together routing, delivery operations, and customer communication into a single ecosystem. Using AI-powered messaging, scheduling tools, and workflow automation, the system keeps customers informed at every stage of the delivery journey while reducing operational friction for retailers.
The goal is simple: make every delivery and service interaction effortless for both retailers and customers.
Solving the “Where Is My Order?” Problem
Anyone working in furniture retail knows one of the most common customer questions: “Where is my order?” Package.ai addresses that challenge with proactive communication tools that keep customers informed without requiring staff intervention. Through AI-driven chat, SMS updates, and self-service scheduling, customers can confirm, adjust, or track deliveries directly from their phones. These features dramatically reduce inbound calls and manual coordination for retail teams. At the same time, they improve transparency and customer trust.
The platform integrates with major retail POS and ERP systems, including STORIS, EPASS, TylerNet, and NetSuite, enabling seamless data flow across sales, delivery operations, and customer communication. For retailers managing large delivery volumes, that integration can make the difference between a stressful logistics process and a streamlined one.
Innovation Designed for Big & Bulky Logistics
One of the reasons Package.ai earned HFA’s Partner of the Year recognition is its commitment to developing tools specifically designed for furniture and appliance delivery. Among its innovations is AI-Powered Backfill, a feature that analyzes delivery routes and identifies opportunities to fill unused truck capacity. By intelligently combining deliveries based on location, timing, and order type, retailers can reduce empty miles and increase delivery density.
Other tools include:
- Self-Scheduling and Rescheduling: Customers can book or modify delivery windows themselves, reducing back-and-forth communication by up to 50 percent.
- Dynamic Routing and Micro-ETAs: Algorithms designed for big-and-bulky logistics provide more accurate delivery windows and real-time route optimization.
- Unified Customer Messaging: Delivery, service, and sales conversations all occur in one thread tied to the customer’s order, giving staff complete visibility into every interaction.
Together, these capabilities help retailers deliver faster, communicate more effectively, and operate more efficiently while creating a more predictable and satisfying customer experience.
A Partner, Not Just a Vendor
Technology alone doesn’t create strong partnerships. For Package.ai, collaboration with retailers is central to its approach. Each retailer is supported by a dedicated “CX pod”, a team that includes an onboarding lead, success manager, and solutions engineer who guide implementation and ongoing optimization. The company also provides playbooks, training resources, and data dashboards to help retailers refine their operations over time. “We act like an extension of the retailer’s team,” Package.ai explains, working alongside operations managers, customer service agents, and delivery teams to design workflows that fit each business.
Feedback from retailers plays a central role in shaping the platform’s development. Many of the features now widely used across the platform, from routing enhancements to customer review prompts, were created directly in response to retailer requests. “Retailers co-create the product with us,” states Package.ai. “When they share ideas that can improve the industry, we make it a priority to turn them into live features.”
Real Results for Retailers
The impact of this partnership approach can be seen in real-world results. One example comes from BostonFAM, a New England furniture retailer operating 15 stores and completing approximately 250 deliveries each day. The company turned to Package.ai when its legacy delivery management system could no longer keep pace with operational demands. Through a collaborative implementation process, Package.ai integrated its platform with BostonFAM’s systems and introduced AI-driven messaging tools that replaced many manual phone interactions.
Within six months, the results were significant:
- Delivery confirmation rates increased from 60–70 percent to 85–95 percent
- Routing time was reduced by 16 percent
- Call center volume dropped by 30 percent
The automation also allowed BostonFAM to reduce several call center roles while reallocating staff to higher-value customer service tasks. “The team at Package.ai allowed us to go at our own pace while providing exceptional support every step of the way,” said Jim Queen, Director of IT at BostonFAM. Stories like this illustrate how technology, when thoughtfully implemented, can deliver measurable operational improvements while enhancing the customer experience.
Strengthening the Industry Through Partnership
Beyond its technology platform, Package.ai has also been an active collaborator within the broader home furnishings ecosystem. Through its partnership with HFA, the company participates in industry events, shares operational insights with retailers, and contributes best practices that help independent businesses compete more effectively. “HFA brings together the voices we serve owners, operators, and teams facing real-world delivery and customer experience challenges,” expresses Fas. By engaging directly with retailers and industry leaders, Package.ai continues to refine its solutions while helping advance operational standards across the industry.
The HFA Partner of the Year Award recognizes companies that go beyond providing products or services to become true partners in retailer success. Package.ai earned that distinction by focusing exclusively on the needs of home furnishings retailers, building technology that solves real operational challenges, and collaborating closely with the industry it serves.
From AI-powered logistics optimization to proactive customer communication, the company has helped retailers modernize the post-purchase experience while reducing operational complexity. But perhaps most importantly, Package.ai understands that the last mile isn’t just about logistics, it’s about relationships. By turning delivery and service interactions into moments of trust and transparency, the company is helping retailers strengthen the connections that keep customers coming back.
For the measurable impact it continues to have across the industry, the Home Furnishings Association proudly recognizes Package.ai as the 2026 HFA Partner of the Year.
