Mike O'Brien

[email protected] / MikeOBmcm

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.

Via.delivery map feature

Startup Via.Delivery Brings BOPIS to SMBs in the U.S.

| Mike O'Brien

Via.Delivery, a startup platform offering the power of buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS) to smaller retail and ecommerce businesses, has expanded beyond its Russian roots with a launch here that features 21,000+ pickup locations at pharmacies, convenience marts and grocery stores.

DeJoy feature II

DeJoy May Be Gone Soon With New Nominations

| Mike O'Brien

President Biden is close to getting Louis DeJoy removed as Postmaster General, which would end a rocky 18-month tenure for the Trump appointee and would-be reformer who, it was frequently noted, was a major donor to the campaign of the former president and 2020 RNC finance chair.

8fig cofounders

8fig Helps Ecommerce Sellers Flex Inventory Spend

| Mike O'Brien

8fig, an innovative fintech startup, is creating a new way for ecommerce sellers to obtain financing as they go for inventory purchases, based on sales history and projected performance, has raised of $50 million in new funding to accelerate growth and expand its lending capabilities.

cyber weekend

Ahead of Cyber Weekend, Some Thoughts and Numbers

| Mike O'Brien

Like lots of things, Cyber Weekend ain’t what it used to be, with a lot of air let out of the balloon. Major retailers vie to outdo each other by launching Black Friday deals ahead of the starting gun. Black Friday deals at Target, Best Buy and Amazon all launched last week, with Walmart joining today. Here’s an outlook and some thoughts.

casper sleep

Casper Goes Private, CEO Steps Down as High Flyer Sinks

| Mike O'Brien

Casper Sleep, the once high-flying DTC mattress-in-a-box company whose star descended as profits shrank despite brisk pandemic-era sales, is going private in an acquisition by Durational Capital Management for about a quarter of its $1.1 billion valuation when it went public in February 2020.

walmart fulfillment center

Walmart Q3 Ecommerce Sales Up 8%, Says Holiday Prep in Good Place

| Mike O'Brien

Walmart reported its ecommerce sales in the U.S. increased 8% in the third quarter, and have gained a total of 87% since the same period in 2019, an incredible jump since pre-pandemic days as the retail giant continues to expand digitally, while declaring itself ready for the holidays.

Amazon Staten Island walkout 3.20

Amazon Workers in Staten Island Withdraw Union Petition

| Mike O'Brien

Workers at an Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island, NY have withdrawn their petition to form a union, two weeks before a meeting before the National Labor Relations Board to determine if sufficient interest existed to proceed with unionization, the NLRB told the Associated Press.

Autonomous Ryder-GA Tech study feature

Georgia Tech/Ryder: Autonomous Middle Mile Drives Savings

| Mike O'Brien

A study by Georgia Tech commissioned by Ryder found a regional autonomous middle mile hub network, based on data from Ryder’s dedicated transportation network in the Southeast, could reduce costs 29% to 40%. Researchers used optimization models for routing and dispatching, comparing the model with existing operations

singles day 2021

Singles Day Underwhelming for Alibaba, Slowest Growth Ever

| Mike O'Brien

Singles Day, really Singles Nearly Fortnight (to borrow a British term) running from Nov. 1-11, was hit by headwinds from an anemic economy, the pandemic, Chinese crackdowns and supply issues, increasing 8.5% to $84.54 billion for originator Alibaba, the lowest jump since its inception in 2009.

Amazon Prime Air Des Moines feature

Amazon Air Expands to Des Moines

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon Air this week has begun operations at Des Moines International Airport, helping to expand same-day delivery for Prime members in the Hawkeye State as its cargo operations continue to spiderweb across the country, increasing Amazon’s independence from traditional air freight carriers.