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.
As Amazon Prime Day number 3 approaches – which will most likely fall around July 12, possibly featuring deals running for a week – there are different approaches merchants can take in response to the new mega-ecommerce event, sort of a U.S. version of Singles Day in China.
The highest number of respondents to a January survey of Amazon sellers – 29%- said they planned to expand to Walmart.com in 2017, an indication of growing interest in the channel. Nearly half of them said it makes up 80% or more of their sales, with home/kitchen goods the most popular category. See what else the survey found.
UPS announced it will implement peak season surge pricing to offset the cost of a huge spike in its shipping volume during the extreme rush at the end of the year. FedEx has not yet announced a similar move. See what the move means, what industry observers are saying and UPS’s rationale.
Dropping a bombshell into the marketplace, Amazon announced its plans to acquire Whole Foods in a cash deal worth $13.7 billion, its biggest deal to date, blowing out Amazon’s bricks-and-mortar agenda and sending shockwaves across both the retail and grocery sectors. See what industry observers had to say about the impact of this major deal.
Nearly half of U.S. consumers made a cross-border purchase last year, according to the 2017 Pulse of the Online Shopper report from UPS and comScore, up 4% from the prior year, indicating a growing interest in overseas goods. See what other results the report found, including findings on omnichannel habits and mobile commerce.
According to the MCM Outlook 2017 survey, merchants saw ecommerce sales grow an average of 12.2% in 2016, close to U.S. Commerce Department growth estimates. In this report, find out what ecommerce initiatives are gaining traction, including mobile-first design and virtual assistants, as well as the latest on the Amazon-Walmart ecommerce war.
Heating up its rivalry with Amazon yet again, Walmart is testing the use of store associates to deliver online orders to customers’ homes. See how Walmart is getting this done, including the simple but genius supply chain scenario.
Home electronics retailer Best Buy had a strong first quarter in ecommerce, with online sales up 22.5%, as profit also grew thanks to cost-cutting moves in the supply chain and other areas that are ahead of schedule. It even gained share on Amazon. See what other initiatives are paying off in the company’s turnaround efforts.
Descartes Systems Group, a provider of Software-as-a-Service for logistics in B2B and B2C companies, has acquired parcel shipping software firm ShipRush for $14 million, expanding its services as it goes after midmarket ecommerce shippers. See what the business combination means for their joint customers.
Contract pilots for Amazon Prime Air are taking their case directly to the Seattle-based ecommerce giant, threatening a strike over wages, working conditions and turnover that could seriously disrupt the new service.