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.

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Amazon Logistics Increased Capacity 50% in the Past Year

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon has increased its capital expenditures by 80% in the past year, including continuing expansion of Amazon Logistics such as new cargo planes, trailers and linehaul trucks and adding to its massive Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program. All told, Amazon has increased its logistics capacity by 50% in the past year alone.

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USPS Rolls Out Plans to Handle 2021 Peak Season Surge

| Mike O'Brien

The USPS announced a number of measures aimed at addressing peak season surges later this year, after it got buried in a deluge of holiday parcels in November and December, many of them handed off from UPS and FedEx. This includes 138 new pieces of sortation equipment and replacing mail sorting equipment at 18 facilities.

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Amazon Key Garage Delivery Expands Nationwide

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is expanding its Amazon Key program, which lets its delivery drivers access a Prime customer’s garage to drop off orders, to more than 5,000 U.S. cities and towns, wherever its grocery delivery services are available from Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods Market. The program, free to Prime members, was first tested three years ago.

E-Grocery Surges to $9.3B in March in U.S.

| Mike O'Brien

E-grocery sales in the U.S. surged back to $9.3 billion in March, the same level as in January and up 43% from $6.5 billion a year ago, after dropping to $8 billion in February, according to the latest data from Mercatus and Brick Meet Click. That growth happened even though 7% fewer households placed one or more orders in March.

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Amazon 3P Rollup Berlin Brands Group Raises $240M

| Mike O'Brien

Berlin Brands Group, started in Germany in 2005 when its founder sold disc jockey equipment, has raised $240 million in debt-free funding to finance acquisition of successful third-party sellers on Amazon primarily in the U.S., growing off its European roots. It plans to invest $300 million in the coming months in acquiring profitable sellers.

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Amazon Prime Hits 147 Million U.S. Subscribers

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon Prime is approaching 150 million members in the U.S. alone, as the global figure has topped 200 million and subscribers after the first year renewing at a near-automatic 98%, according to the final shareholder letter from departing CEO Jeff Bezos and figures from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

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Walmart, Target Stepping Up Last-Mile Fulfillment

| Mike O'Brien

Walmart and Target both announced plans Thursday to improve last-mile fulfillment and delivery from their stores, taking alternate routes via an investment in self-driving car project Cruise, and a new sortation facility powered by acquired technologies from Grand Junction and Deliv, respectively.

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Amazon FC Vote Challenged By Union

| Mike O'Brien

The union that was unsuccessful in its effort to organize workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Alabama immediately challenged the April 9 outcome as expected, claiming the ecommerce giant illegally interfered with the election. The complaint was filed with the NLRB, asking it to investigate Amazon’s tactics.

Retailers Viewing Returns Through the Lens of Strategy

| Mike O'Brien

If the past year has taught us anything, it’s this: Retailers can no longer afford to view returns as a cost of doing business, but instead need to make it a key business strategy driving customer loyalty. Successful retailers are enhancing their returns policies and solutions to make returns a differentiator.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

Uncommon Goods Steps Up Its SMS Marketing Game

| Mike O'Brien

Based in Brooklyn, NY, ecommerce crafts marketplace Uncommon Goods has been tested automated SMS campaigns, including for retargeting. Brian Hashemi, head of marketing and analytics for Uncommon Goods, talks about how the company is testing and learning with its SMS/email mix and working to increase personalization.