first mile container feature

Winning the First Mile to Navigate Economic Uncertainty

| Rodney Manzo

With all the focus on winning in the last mile, companies need to pay more attention to critical first mile success, addressing the various headwinds that beset it. Brands need to strike a balance in optimizing the first mile that address efficiency, affordability and overall performance. Here are two critical areas to address in order to help you mitigate risks and assure a seamless flow of goods.

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.

Large Retailers See 64% Prime Day One Sales Lift; Glitches Repeat

| Mike O'Brien

Large U.S. retailers over $1 billion saw a nice Prime Day bump on July 15 according to data from Adobe Analytics, with a 64% increase in sales vs. a typical Monday, up from 54% last year. Smaller retailers under $5 million, meanwhile, realized a smaller 30% sales lift, Adobe said. Meanwhile, some checkout glitches recurred this year.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Sees Success with Ecommerce Software Insourcing

| Mike O'Brien

Dick’s Sporting Goods continues pushing to insource its ecommerce software, following a trail blazed by its CIO during his time at Home Depot, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The company has also centralized its ecommerce fulfillment and revamped its supply chain to speed up ecommerce deliveries.

Report Finds U.S. Retailers Underperforming in Key Omnichannel Categories

| Mike O'Brien

Given all the attention paid to buy online pickup in store including its popularity with shoppers, only 28% of U.S. retailers currently offer the service, compared to 64% of British retailers providing its cousin, click and collect, according to a report from OrderDynamics. Retailers here were also found lagging in other categories.

How Tractor Supply Executed Its Omnichannel Strategy

| Daniela Forte

The goal for Tractor Supply has been to meet the needs of its customers at every touchpoint in an effort to evolve and support their lifestyle. Find out how the 1,700-store company has managed to marry its in-store and digital operations, creating a winning omnichannel experience where physical and digital complement one another.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

Abercrombie & Fitch on Omnichannel Order Sourcing Best Practices

| Mike O'Brien

In an omnichannel world where fulfillment has become an increasingly complex proposition, order sourcing is a critical success factor for any merchant organization. Alex Volakis, senior omnichannel strategy analyst with Abercrombie & Fitch, provides key insights into the tools, processes and practices that help the company optimize its sourcing strategy in the latest MCM CommerceChat podcast.