UPS Acquires UK Truck Brokerage Firm Freightex

| Mike O'Brien

UPS has acquired British firm Freightex to gain entry into the European truck brokerage market. This comes eight months after FedEx closed its acquisition of Netherlands-based TNT Express. See what a UPS unit executive had to say about the rationale behind the move, how it will be integrated with Coyote Logistics and how it’s positioned in the European market.

UPS, shipping, financial results, operations and fulfillment, FedEx, TNT

UPS Explains Rationale of New Optoro Partnership

| MCM staff

Multichannel Merchant recently caught up with Steve Brill, vice president for retail and global B2C for UPS, to dig a bit deeper into the rationale behind the agreement. See what each side brings to the table, and the benefits created by the combined solution.

Tips for Converting Your Holiday Returns Into Sales

| Maria Haggerty

While the holiday returns can be a headache, ecommerce brands have an opportunity to use them to generate long-term loyalty and drive additional sales. Here are a few useful tips to help your ecommerce brand turn a traditionally stressful time of year into an opportunity to drive loyalty and first-quarter sales.

An Omnichannel Mixed Bag, Delivered in a Box

| Mike O'Brien

As someone who lives, eats, sleeps and often writes about omnichannel, it’s always interesting to be a participant in the “anytime, anywhere, anyhow” dynamic. See how Bob’s Stores got my experience exactly right, but fell down in terms of fulfillment efficiency.

ecommerce returns

8 Ways to Lessen the Profit Impact of Ecommerce Returns

| Curt Barry

Ecommerce returns are a fact of life for multichannel merchants, but there are a number of creative ways to reduce their frequency – and the expense hit that goes straight to the bottom line. Here are 8 tips to help you do exactly that.

Union Woes Threaten Amazon Holiday Deliveries

| Brian Kelly

Citing lowered pay, bad working conditions and staffing shortages, Amazon Prime Air pilots are warning Amazon customers to think twice before placing a holiday order. Find out what steps the pilot union and the company are taking to resolve matters.

retail imports

Retail Imports Up as Holiday Shopping Continues

| MCM Staff

Retail imports should be up 3.2% this month vs. 2015, as stores bring in the last of holiday merchandise, according to the monthly global port tracker from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. The numbers come as NRF is forecasting $655.8 billion in holiday sales, a 3.6% increase over last year. The NRF saw the increase as a good sign for both the retail industry and the economy overall heading into the latter part of the holiday rush.

Global Parcel Shipping Projected to Grow 20% by 2018

| Mike O'Brien

A new index from Pitney Bowes projects that global parcel shipping will increase 5%-7% per year, increasing 20% by 2018, driven largely by ecommerce growth. See what else the company discovered while surveying parcel shippers in 12 markets.