Bringg Raises $100M to Reach $1B Valuation

| Mike O'Brien

Bringg, a provider of order orchestration software for last-mile deliveries, has raised $100 million in a series E round, bringing it into the growing unicorn club as it looks to international expansion, explores extensions into less-than-truckload and other forms of transportation and eyes acquisitions. This is 4x from a year-ago valuation.

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Ecommerce Operations Summit Strikes the Right Notes in Music City

| Mike O'Brien

Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021 is back live, at the Gaylord Opreyland in Nashville on Aug. 17-18, and the team at Multichannel Merchant has a great event on tap to help operations and fulfillment professionals keep on top of key industry trends and address the challenges of a disruptive time. Read on for some program highlights.

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Last Mile Sustainability: Retail’s Environmental Impact

| Guy Bloch

There is a real urgency for retailers to address the sustainability factor in ecommerce head on. With today’s wave of socially conscious consumers, incorporating sustainable practices across the supply chain is the next big challenge and is imperative for retailers to prioritize, especially those focused on long-term growth.

This is easier said than done, but what can retailers realistically do to address and win against these challenges?

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American Eagle Expands Same-Day Delivery with ShopRunner

| Mike O'Brien

American Eagle Outfitters has expanded its offering of free same-day delivery for members of partner ShopRunner to include 50 U.S. cities, up from six when the retailer started working with the FedEx acquired service in October. During the past year, American Eagle and Aerie have offered free store and curbside pickup.

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Relaxing of Amazon FBA Storage Rules, Explained

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon has revoked the 200-unit limit for new FBA sellers and changed how it assesses sellers’ storage limits. New sellers can start with 500-1,000 units depending on their storage type. It also now subject all sellers to new restock limits. Eytan Wiener, CEO of Getida and a former Amazon power seller, helps us break down the changes.

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USPS Postmaster DeJoy Facing FBI Investigation

| Mike O'Brien

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into past political fundraising efforts of Louis DeJoy, the embattled Postmaster General of the U.S. Postal Service, raising the volume of Democratic calls for his ouster even as he works to enact major postal reforms.

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Pitney Bowes Expands Smart Lockers Program

| Mike O'Brien

Pitney Bowes is rolling out a new series of smart lockers that can be used either in office or apartment buildings, college campuses or retail stores that can be configured to use as parcel boxes for individuals to send and receive items, or for picking up ecommerce orders and processing returns.

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Flytrex Gains FAA Approval to Fly Drones Over Homes

| Mike O'Brien

Flytrex, an Israeli maker of delivery drones, has been awarded an FAA waiver to fly its drones over residential sections of Fayetteville, NC, en route to backyard wire drops of groceries and other items at up to 2,000 homes. They are coming from Walmart as well as local cafes and restaurants including Dairy Queen and Starbucks.

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FedEx Increases Surcharges Effective June 21

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx announced a new round of rate increases starting June 21, including bumps in additional handling, peak surcharge and residential delivery charges, leaving beleaguered ecommerce shippers to wonder where the increases will end. The carrier is also leaving in place a peak oversized charge of $30 per package from January.

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FarEye Raises $100 Million to Grow Delivery Platform

| Mike O'Brien

FarEye, maker of a delivery management platform that gives shoppers delivery windows as short as an hour, has raised $100 million in a new round. The company plans to further its platform capabilities and expand in Europe and North America. Customers include Dominoes, Walmart, DHL eCommerce, Finland Post and Singapore Post.