holiday shopping, 2014 holiday season, 2014 holiday shopping, UPS, FedEx, National Retail Federation, NRF, retail, ecommerce, Shipping/Delivery. Operations and Fulfillment

5 Tips to Prepare for Holiday Shipping

| Daniela Forte

The holidays will be here before we know it, so as you prepare for the rush, you will want to think of proactive ways to handle shipping this year. The holidays will be here before we know it, so as you prepare for the rush, you will want to think of proactive ways to handle shipping this year. Find out ways you can create engagement, boost sales and get your site ready to master the holiday rush.

Pet Product Merchants Differentiate Themselves to Succeed

| Daniela Forte

Pet products merchants Ruffwear, Dog is Good, Pet Lifestyle And You and Pup-Pee Solutions have found ways to differentiate themselves and succeed in business. Here’s what these four merchants are doing to differentiate themselves in the crowded pet products category.

IBM Says Mobile Sparks Back-to-School Sales

| Daniela Forte

Online sales saw significant gains for back-to-school in July and through the third week of August, according to a recent IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark report. IBM attributed back-to-school gains to double-digit growth in mobile sales.

Free Shipping Doesn’t Kill the Bottom Line

| Tim Parry

The words “free shipping” may make operations managers cringe, but it doesn’t mean it has to kill a merchant’s bottom line. Here’s what motivates customers of Vermont Teddy Bear and Spreadshirt to pull the trigger on free shipping deals, and why it’s okay to have free shipping as a regular, every day option.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Says Cooler Temps Behind Sluggish Sales

| Erin Lynch

Dick’s Sporting Goods reported a lower-than-expected second quarter, which the sports retailer said was due in large part to “higher levels of precipitation and cooler temperatures.” Dick’s, however, did report that net sales for the second quarter increased 6.6% to $1.5 billion.

Amazon Opens First Contact Center in Kentucky

| Erin Lynch

Amazon has opened an 80,000 square-foot contact center in Kentucky this month and while the customer service center is the first of its kind there, it joins four other fulfillment centers across the Bluegrass State.