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.
Microsoft has added new features and functions to its Dynamics 365 platform that allow retailers to create product pages with reviews and ratings, based on its Azure cloud services platform that goes head-to-head with Amazon’s dominant AWS offering.
At the first day of the Universal Postal Union’s extraordinary congress in Geneva Tuesday, the body voted 78-57 with 9 abstentions against a U.S. proposal to allow creation of self-declared postal rates, an effort to end the current inequitable terminal dues system, the Associated Press reported.
There’s a little bit of everything on tap at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2020, to be held April 14-16 in wonderful Orlando, FL. From keynotes by executives at Neiman Marcus and REI to new e-grocery and robotics tracks, preconference workshops and lots of great networking, it’s a not-to-be-missed event for industry pros.
Wing, the drone company owned by Google parent Alphabet, is piloting a drone delivery program starting next month in Christiansburg, VA in partnership with FedEx and Walgreens, the first time a retailer will offer this kind of service in the U.S.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the company plans to purchase 100,000 electric-powered vans from Detroit startup Rivian Automotive, as it seeks to accomplish two goals in one stroke: Decreasing its carbon footprint and increasing its delivery capabilities.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a new measure that will require many companies using independent contractors to hire them as employees and provide benefits, dramatically changing the economics of the gig economy in ecommerce delivery. Deliv got ahead of the law in June by hiring its California workers.
Amazon has reportedly adjusted the search algorithm on its marketplace in such a way as to favor results more profitable to itself, including its own house brands competing with third-party sellers, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, a charge which the company denies.
Walmart’s answer to Amazon Prime on the grocery side, Delivery Unlimited, is expanding nationwide, the company said, reaching 1,400 U.S. stores now and 1,600 by the end of the year. The program had been piloted in Houston, Miami, Salt Lake City and Tampa, and will now be in all 200 markets where grocery delivery is available.
Investigators from the FTC have begun interviewing merchants selling on Amazon’s third-party marketplace in an attempt to ascertain if the ecommerce giant is using anti-competitive practices, according to a report in Bloomberg. They’re asking merchants how much business they do on Amazon.com vs. other major marketplaces.
Adding robotics capabilities to its new fulfillment service launched in June, major SMB ecommerce platform Shopify is acquiring 6 River Systems for $450 million, the companies announced, making it the first platform firm with this capability for its ecommerce seller customers worldwide.