Walmart Aims to Best Amazon in Checkout-Less Stores
Walmart is reportedly launching both a personal shopper service targeted at rich New Yorkers, and a checkout-less store experience a la Amazon Go, according a report in Recode.
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.
FedEx, UPS Say Holiday Shipments On Track
FedEx reported Tuesday it is on track in terms of holiday shipments, and UPS reported it has been able to keep up after a hiccup following a larger-than-expected volume surge after Cyber Week.
Carriers Working Hard to Handle Crush of Peak Holiday Season Parcels
The U.S. Postal Service’s Parcel Select service bested UPS and FedEx in terms of on-time delivery for the week of Dec. 2-9, according to data from ShipMatrix, hitting the mark 99% of the time, while FedEx Ground was second at 97.1% and UPS trailed at 91.5%.
Amazon Expands Free Same-Day, Next-Day for Prime Members
Continuing in perpetual motion mode, Amazon has expanded the number of cities and towns offering free same-day and next-day delivery for Prime members from 5,000 to 8,000, while also leveraging its Best Buy acquisition and new bookstores in an all-out holiday season assault.
Target Buys Shipt, Expands Same-Day Delivery Capability
In the perpetual game of keep-up with Amazon and Walmart, Target announced plans to acquire delivery service provider Shipt for $550 million, expanding same-day delivery to half of its stores by early 2018 and all major markets by the next holiday season.
Most SMB Merchants Offer Free Shipping, But Few Offer Fast
While two-thirds of small-to-medium-sized ecommerce companies offer free shipping, only 3% of them are offering same-day or next-day shipping, as the economics don’t work for smaller online merchants, according to a new survey by Shippo.
Eagle Foods Improves Walmart Compliance with Freight Consolidation
Eagle Foods has increased its compliance score with Walmart’s new, stricter vendor shipping requirements through a freight consolidation program. See what the new program requires and how Eagle has been able to hit the tight windows.
Cyber Week Volume Causes Late Deliveries for Canada Post
As happened with UPS but on a smaller scale, Canada Post customers have experienced issues with late deliveries this week as the national carrier has been impacted by residual effect of Cyber Week volume.
Cyber Weekend Surge Causing UPS Delays
UPS said there will be delivery delays through the middle of this week due to a deluge in ecommerce orders beginning on Cyber Monday and in the days following.
DHL Expands in North America to Meet Peak Demand
Looking to make up ground on rivals UPS and FedEx during peak season, DHL is in the midst of an expansion effort that includes hiring 6,000 temporary workers across its four business units in North America, adding flights and piloting robotic and augmented reality technologies.