Wix and Shippo feature

Wix Adds Native Shipping Tools With Shippo

| Mike O'Brien

Wix, a platform for merchants to create ecommerce storefronts, has partnered with shipping services provider Shippo to add a set of natively integrated tools its customers can use to simplify order delivery and take advantage of volume discounts with carriers. Wix Shipping went live in November in Canada and has now launched in the U.S. and the UK, with plans to expand shortly to Germany.

package delivery cat on porch feature

Real-Time Shipping Visibility, Thanks to Predictive Analytics

| Christina Ryan

It’s difficult to fully approximate the time a package will take to arrive when shipping is subject to a multitude of factors outside our control. These variables can include extreme weather, driver shortages, holidays and even customs discrepancies. What if you could know beforehand based on previous patterns, and implement this into the shipping estimate given to the customer? Read on to find out how.

USPS old mailboxes

USPS: $2.5B Net Loss, Parcel Volume Drop in Q2

| Mike O'Brien

The U.S. Postal Service reported a net loss that ballooned by $1.8 billion and a 5% decline in parcel volume for the second quarter, as the USPS faces the same ecommerce declines as other major carriers while wrestling with pain from a major network overhaul, union unrest and battles over its up-and-down EV adoption. Parcel revenue was down 2% to $7.6 billion, but first-class mail inched up to $6.3 billion.

pitney bowes logo feature

Pitney Bowes Gains 4 of 5 Hestia-Backed Directors

| Mike O'Brien

Pitney Bowes shareholders voted to add four new directors from a slate of five proposed by activist firm Hestia Capital Management to join the nine-member board, backing a group of investors looking for wholesale changes to reverse the fortunes of the postal consolidation and cross-border ecommerce firm. Both sides pledged to work together for the betterment of the company. The market boosted the stock.

cargo containers on pier

U.S. Import Volume Up in March

| Mike O'Brien

Import volume, measured in container TEUs, was up 6.9% from February to March, according to data from Descartes. Last month’s volume was down 27.5% from the prior year but ahead of pre-pandemic 2019 by 4.2%, an encouraging sign even as the 2023 outlook is cloudy due to labor and economic issues.

sustainable packaging Omoda store feature

Sustainable Packaging Q&A: A Retailer’s Quest for a New Solution

| Ian McRae

Omoda, a Dutch-based retailer of premium shoes, wanted to reduce its CO2 footprint and demonstrate a commitment to the environment. Its preexisting process often resulted shipping up to 50% air, which caused a substantial impact on both sustainability and shipping costs. In this Q&A case study, Omoda talks about how Ranpak’s solution helped the retailer achieve its goals.

Teamsters Sean O'Brien before Congress feature

Teamsters to UPS: No National Negotiations Until Supplementals Settled

| Mike O'Brien

The Teamsters union stepped up its rhetoric ahead of the formal start of bargaining Monday for a new contract with UPS, accusing the major carrier of stalling and refusing to negotiate in good faith, while threatening to hold up the process until supplemental issues are settled. But there appears to be difference between the parties on the agreed-upon timetable for addressing them.

FedEx Express jet tails feature

FedEx to Join Ground, Express Units

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx provided details on its plan to consolidate its Ground, Express and Service units by 2024, announced last year, with its less-than-truckload Freight unit remaining separate, projecting cost savings of $4 billion by 2025 and an additional $2 billion in network efficiencies by 2027. The consolidation, undoing the legacy of founder and executive chairman Fred Smith, will cost an estimated $2 billion, FedEx said.

Ryder BrightDrop van feature

Ryder Rolling Out 4,000 BrightDrop EV Vans by 2025

| Mike O'Brien

Ryder System Inc. plans to purchase 4,000 light-duty electric vans for its rental, leasing and dedicated fleets from General Motors-owned BrightDrop by 2025, with its first order of 200 vehicles going into service this year, as it looks to meet customer EV demand and keep up with various state mandates.

parcel volume boxes in stepvan feature

Parcel Volume in U.S. Hits Projection a Year Ahead

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx saw the biggest U.S. parcel volume falloff in 2022, Pitney Bowes reported, and while overall volume last year was down by 2.2%, the pandemic bump in ecommerce helped it outpace the 2019 projection, hitting the target a year early. The CAGR for parcel volume growth from 2023-2028 is projected to be halved, from 10.8% to 5%.