Mike O'Brien
Mike O’Brien has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for … well, quite a while. At Multichannel Merchant he focuses on the world of direct-to-customer operations and fulfillment, editing MCM’s weekly O+F Advisor newsletter, and programs the annual Ecommerce Operations Summit conference. Previously Mike was a senior account executive for Marx Communications, a boutique public relations firm working with marketing and advertising technology companies. Other past work includes stints as a media relations consultant for a concert promoter, a marketing communications specialist for a pharma software firm, a research analyst covering corporate e-learning and a daily newspaper reporter on every beat imaginable – except sports.
With the new U.S. Postal Service rates in effect, shippers are looking for creative ways to keep their parcel spend down as costs among the major carriers continue to rise. Find out what the increases mean and hear what some industry experts have to say about the impacts.
In this MCM CommerceChat podcast, Anthony Burnside, manager of direct-to-customer order management and omnichannel fulfillment for Abercrombie & Fitch, talks to Multichannel Merchant about the role of data analytics and data science inside his group and organization
In another whack at porch piracy, UPS is expanding an in-home delivery service through smart lock partner Latch to 10 additional cities, after successful tests in New York and San Francisco. It will be available later this year in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Miami and Seattle.
Amazon has been quietly shipping ocean freight from China to West Coast ports, in another sign of its increasing logistics ambitions and an entire supply chain play, according to a report in USA Today. In the past year, Amazon Logistics has shipped 4.7 million cartons of consumer goods from China to Long Beach and Seattle.
Free shipping for ecommerce orders is an increasingly high priority for U.S. consumers, who are also embracing buy online pickup in store, according to a new Consumer View report from the National Retail Federation. The report found that 75% of consumers expect free delivery even on orders under $50, up from 68% last year.
Amazon Prime surpassed 100 million members in the U.S. in the fourth quarter, according to new data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), representing 62% of all Amazon customers. This is up from 85 million in July, with Prime members spending on average $1,400 per year vs. $600 for non-members.
Bringg, a logistics software provider in the retail, grocery, restaurant, pharmacy and 3PL categories, has raised $25 million in a Series C funding round to increase its market reach, invest in its team and step up its R&D efforts. See what the company has been up to and how it is disrupting the same-day delivery logistics sector.
PFSweb is testing a new solution for fulfilling ecommerce orders from local malls, hoping that in the near future multiple orders from different retailers can be delivered to the same customer. The initial deployment will be in February at a mall owned by partner Simon Properties in Fort Worth, TX.
As demand for online grocery continues to grow, 97% of organizations in the industry believe current last-mile delivery models are not sustainable for full-scale implementation, and consumers are increasingly demanding better services but are dissatisfied with current offerings, according to a Capgemini study.
What major trends are driving changes in direct-to-customer commerce, and what do they mean for your business? And how are they impacting professionals in operations and fulfillment, catalog and ecommerce and marketing? Make your voice heard—complete the survey today for a chance to win an Amazon gift card.