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Flowspace Raises $31M in New Funding Round

| Mike O'Brien

Flowspace, a provider of warehouse-on-demand software and services, has raised $31 million in a new round to expand its business and build on capabilities like predictive analytics to help retailers achieve fulfillment network optimization through precise fulfillment hub and inventory positioning.

A Peek into 2020 Peak: Fulfilling the Promise of Omnichannel

| Zach Thomann

Coming after a year of economic contraction and retail disruption, the 2020 peak holiday season threatened to be brutal on retailers. While some retailers had exceptional results, operational challenges limited opportunities. See what a recent study revealed about the impact of pre-peak investments on reducing capability gaps.

Omnichannel operations are the future of brick-and-mortar and DTC retail.

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Ahold Delhaize Steps Up Automation Efforts

| Mike O'Brien

Ahold Delhaize, the Netherlands-based grocery conglomerate that owns Stop & Shop, Giant and other U.S. chains, plans to pilot micro-fulfillment technology at one of Giant’s fulfillment centers in Philadelphia as it competes with Kroger’s e-fulfillment model using tech partner Ocado.

3PL vs. Internal Fulfillment: Comparing Costs

| Brian Barry

For some ecommerce and multichannel companies, using third-party fulfillment (3PL) can be a viable alternative and provide high customer service as an option to internal fulfillment. The burning question for management: “How will it compare in terms of costs?” Here’s a step-by-step process for conducting your analysis.

Better Workforce Management Improves Ecommerce Fulfillment

| Derek Jones

It is not farfetched to say that the success of any ecommerce fulfillment operation will come down to human resources and how well they are managed. Here are some of the benefits improved workforce management, even after the pandemic is behind us, can deliver to your ecommerce business.

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ShipBob Raises $68 Million in Funding, Plans to Double Its Network

| Mike O'Brien

ShipBob, a provider of third-party logistics with facilities in the U.S., Canada and Europe, has raised $68 million to fuel growth, expand its platform and more than double its global network, a signal of the significant venture capital flowing into logistics to support the ecommerce explosion. This brings the total raised to $130.5 million.

3 Tips for Empowering Millennial Warehouse Workers

| Don White

As ecommerce fulfillment experiences rapid change, millennials are both a blessing and a curse. They offer valuable skills and insights but have gotten a bad rap. So how can you counteract the concerns and build a millennial-friendly workplace? Here are 3 suggestions as you bring this generation into your warehouse.

What’s Employee Turnover Costing Your DTC Fulfillment Operations?

| Curt Barry

How much does absenteeism and employee turnover cost your DTC fulfillment operations? How do you stack up? To identify the problems, do you have formalized reporting statistically of employee absenteeism and turnover? As you research your turnover rate, here are some key points to take into consideration.

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Locus Robotics Raises $40 Million in New Funding Round

| Mike O'Brien

Locus Robotics, makers of autonomous mobile robots for carriers and 3PLs like UPS, DHL, Ceva Logistics, Taylored Services and ShipMonk, has raised more than $40 million in a Series D funding led Zebra Ventures, along with existing investors like Scale Venture Partners.

Target Sees Ecommerce Soar, But COVID-19 Costs Dampen Earnings

| Mike O'Brien

Target found the COVID-19 outbreak to be a two-edged sword in the first quarter, driving stratospheric ecommerce sales growth of 141%, while impacting profits due to about $500 million in associated costs, the company reported. It also saw over 5 million customers shop on Target.com for the first time in Q1.