Ecommerce Logistics Consultant · supply chain consulting DACHLogistics as a strategic P&L lever, not a cost centre.

The difference is primarily the persona addressed. A 3PL consultant typically works with persona B/C — head of logistics, COO, e-commerce founder — at operational depth (contract, invoice, carrier meeting). A logistics consultant addresses persona A — CFO, CEO mid-market — at the strategic level (TCO, make-vs-buy, operating leverage, P&L levers). Substantively the two roles complement each other: the consultant draws the architecture, the adviser turns the operational dials. With me, both roles come together in one person — six years of provider-side 3PL management means operational depth; the CXO frame comes from the engagement format and the vocabulary layer.

Three cost ranges for 2026. Tier-1 strategy consulting (McKinsey, BCG, Bain): €1.2–3.5m per project, entry threshold €200m revenue. Tier-2 logistics consulting (specialised firms): day rates €1,800–3,200, projects €80,000–400,000, sensible from €50m revenue. An operational insider consultant with CXO addressing: fixed-price packages €7,000–35,000 + optional sparring retainer €1,200–2,800/month, fits €8–80m revenue. Anyone looking between Tier-2 and Tier-1 rarely finds the right engagement cut in the DACH mid-market. Insider consultants fill that gap.

Realistic range in DACH e-commerce mid-market 2026: 200–800 bps EBIT lever over 12–18 months, with a mean around 350 bps. For a €30m brand with a 10% EBIT margin, that's €600,000–2,400,000 of annual EBIT lever. Drivers: carrier negotiation (typically 60–120 bps), pick/pack optimisation (30–80 bps), storage and surcharge clean-up (20–60 bps), architecture optimisation (50–200 bps), cross-border setup optimisation (40–150 bps). Real-world example: a €25m brand reduces logistics costs from 10.2% to 8.7% of revenue = €370,000 annually, at a one-off consultant fee of €28,500 = 13× ROI. Prerequisite: active CXO involvement and consistent implementation of the roadmap.

Typical format: a 30-minute intro call (free, directly with the CEO/CFO/COO, no pre-screening), then depending on the engagement a strategic audit (4–6 weeks, with a boardroom presentation), a cross-border architecture (8–14 weeks, with a decision document) or a sparring retainer (ongoing, monthly strategy call + KPI review). Availability during active engagements: within 4 hours on working days, escalation-capable within 24 hours. The output format is explicitly boardroom-ready: no 80-slide decks, but 12–18-page decision documents with an executive summary, sensitivity analysis, clear recommendation. Confidentiality is standard — an NDA is brought along or counter-signed.

Yes — and it's an increasingly requested engagement form. In e-commerce brand diligence (buy- or sell-side), logistics is typically one of 4–6 diligence streams. Operational logistics diligence answers concretely: how much of the logistics cost is real (negotiable/representative) vs. one-off/seasonal? Which contractual lock-ins limit the buyer's flexibility? Which operational risks sit in the 3PL setup (vendor lock-in, SLA breaches, escalation history)? Which cross-border setup gaps must be addressed before closing? These diligence engagements typically run 4–8 weeks, custom pricing between €18,000 and €65,000. Advantage: I know the DACH 3PL landscape from the provider inside view — hard to reproduce in diligence phases.

Complementary, not competing. Tier-1 consultancies (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) serve mid-cap and large-cap with big strategy projects. They're unsuited to the DACH mid-market between €8m and €80m revenue — the entry threshold, engagement format and day rates don't fit. In reality, the DACH mid-market needs its own layer between operational adviser and strategy consultancy. I serve that layer with insider knowledge + CXO vocabulary. If your engagement genuinely has Tier-1 complexity (e.g. enterprise logistics transformation €200m+, multi-regional network design), I openly point to the right Tier-1 addresses. The aim isn't to replace enterprise consulting — but to serve the DACH mid-market with operating-sub depth and a CXO format.

The default language is German. DACH boardroom reality is primarily German-speaking, even in internationally positioned brands. If your board-deck format is English, I deliver deliverables bilingually (executive summary EN + detail DE or vice versa). For mid-market brands with an international cap table (PE/VC investors, international advisory board) that's standard. I give boardroom presentations in German or English — as communicated in the board. Written decision documents are typically single-language with an executive translation.