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.
Given the growing importance of social media influencers in ecommerce, it’s surprising that more merchants and brands aren’t using them on Prime Day, based on results from a new survey from Revfluence.
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark South Dakota vs. Wayfair ruling in June, much uncertainty remains. To address the many questions, join Multichannel Merchant and Vertex on Wednesday, July 18 at 1 p.m. EDT for a free webinar, “The Supreme Court Wayfair Decision: Now What?”
As Amazon Prime Day 4.0 is set to run for 36 hours Monday and Tuesday, merchants are making last-minute preparations on ads, promotions, pricing and Prime eligibility. Others are looking to create their own buzz, drafting on an extended ecommerce holiday projected to grow by 40% to $3.4 billion. See what else is in store.
As the battle heats up for same-day grocery delivery in urban markets, Jet.com is opening a new fulfillment center this fall in the Bronx, NY to service New York City customers with not only food in a flash but other merchandise as well. See what other players are up to in the hyper-competitive market.
With interest growing in the use of blockchain in the supply chain, FedEx has been very active in moving the technology forward. Dale Chrystie, FedEx Freight’s Vice President of Strategic Planning and Support, spoke with Multichannel Merchant about the company’s involvement with blockchain initiatives.
Looking to provide a different experience for a key demographic group, Abercrombie & Fitch will open two smaller footprint stores next month near college campuses that will have an omnichannel focus and serve as test beds for future expansion.
As it has here, ecommerce in Europe is continuing to experience double-digit gains, increasing 11% in 2017 to $624 billion or 534 billion euros, with projected growth of 13% in 2018, according to a report from Ecommerce Europe. See how the spending broke down by region, and which marketplaces were most popular.
In an effort to address overcapacity issues in its dozens of fulfillment centers, Amazon has instituted new charges that will penalize third-party sellers – who make up more than half of its sales – for having slow-moving inventory. See what these changes mean and what else Amazon is doing to deal with inventory overflow.
UPS has opened a new 323,000-square-foot high-tech package sorting and delivery hub outside Paris, part of an ongoing $2 billion investment in European facilities to expand its network capacity there and facilitate cross-border trade.
Once again Amazon is working to expand its own delivery capabilities, inviting entrepreneurs to launch new companies with fleets of 20-40 vans emblazoned with the company’s ubiquitous logo, even offering discounted lease rates it has negotiated, the company announced.