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.
Parcel delivery companies saw some post-peak falloff, eliminating 9,700 positions in February even as jobs grew in other sectors while hiring overall cooled, according to the Department of Labor, the Wall Street Journal reported. Overall 53,000 parcel delivery jobs were added in the past 12 months, and warehouse hiring also remains strong.
Joining a growing group of retailers eager to match the heightened expectations of today’s shoppers and save on delivery costs, youth apparel seller rue21 has partnered with Mastek to offer buy online pickup in store (BOPIS) at its 700+ store locations. The rollout began in January and is expected to be completed by the end of March.
What areas of omnichannel operations need improvement? What challenges and opportunities are retailers facing? Charles Dimov of OrderDynamics, discusses his company’s recent research in this MCM CommerceChat podcast, and will go into greater depth at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2019, April 9-11 in Columbus, OH.
Expanding on the success of its return bars in shopping malls, Happy Returns has created in-store kiosks where retailers can let customers do self-service returns, with a number of major chains kicking the tires as a possible launch partner. See how the solution works to solve the issues related to in-store ecommerce returns.
UPS has expanded a piloted service to help small-to-medium-sized businesses worldwide consolidate their ecommerce fulfillment to customers in the U.S. and Canada, across 21 different marketplaces and web stores including eBay, Walmart, Etsy and Amazon.
The Feb. 5 fire that completely gutted an automated Ocado grocery fulfillment center in the UK was caused by a failure in an “ambient grid” storing food at room temperature, raising concerns about what happens in these types of facilities when disaster strikes, according to a Bloomberg report.
DSW has been seeing success in expanding into new product lines that encompass the lifestyle of its mostly female shoppers, CEO Roger Rawlins told attendees at ShopTalk. Here is how the shoe company is creating an emotional connection with its customers.
Amazon Day, presented as a convenient way for Prime members to receive all their weekly orders on a set day, will also help the company save on its massive delivery costs through consolidation if enough customers buy into the idea.
FedEx is planning to test delivery robots this summer for customers including Walmart and Pizza Hut, while Target and AutoZone are looking at the capability, according to Reuters. The 10 mph robots would have to be approved by the city of Memphis. This is one innovative way companies are looking to cut last mile costs.
In a bold and unexpected move, Stamps.com, which built its business through an exclusive shipping partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, is now severing that relationship as it seeks to offer its ecommerce customers more options, while keeping a sharp eye on Amazon logistics. See what the CEO had to say and how analysts reacted.