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Leveraging Tech to Navigate the Great Holiday Shortage

| Gareth Smith

To minimize the impact of the great holiday shortage of 2021, retailers need to leverage innovative technologies and their insights to help navigate supply chain disruptions and reduce the risk of driving customers away now and into 2022. Here are some critical ways technology can help mitigate the pain of out of stocks.

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MFC Firm Fabric Joins the Unicorn Club With $200M Raise

| Mike O'Brien

Fabric, maker of automated systems for on-demand micro fulfillment in urban settings, has raised a fresh $200 million, bringing its valuation above the vaunted $1 billion mark as it looks to expand to new markets beyond its current operations in Washington, DC, New York and its launch site of Tel Aviv.

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Inventory Management Gets Trickier As Forces Collide

| Mike O'Brien

Given massive, lingering supply chain roadblocks, carrier capacity limits and labor shortages, inventory management has gotten trickier for retailers, especially as the critical Q4 approaches. This special report from Multichannel Merchant looks at ways retailers are rethinking their inventory approach to buffer against shocks.

More Than Half of U.S. Consumers Planning Holiday Shopping Early

| Mike O'Brien

Supply chain delays, ongoing carrier issues and expectations of late deliveries or out of stocks has driven a record number of U.S. consumers to begin holiday shopping earlier than ever, with 52% of them in an Oracle Retail survey saying they’ve already begun to do so. Major retailers like Target and Best Buy have kicked off promotions.

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LaserShip Acquires OnTrac for $1.3B, Looks Nationally

| Mike O'Brien

Regional carrier LaserShip is acquiring competitor OnTrac for $1.3 billion deal, in one fell swoop changing the equation in last-mile parcel delivery by giving the combined entity coverage of three-quarters of the continental U.S. as ecommerce demand continues to soar.

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Wakefern Testing Robot Delivery in Pennsylvania

| Mike O'Brien

Independent grocery cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. is testing robot delivery at two ShopRite stores in Pennsylvania as retailers continue to explore automated options for augmenting traditional methods to make e-grocery fulfillment faster and more efficient. Stores in Yardley and Bethlehem are participating in the trial.

Omnichannel Holidays: Not Optional for Retailers

| Sharon Gee

Uncertainty around holiday store shopping makes an omnichannel strategy more critical than ever. Retailers need to figure out where to sell, both geographically and through which channels. Based on these imperatives, here are four strategies critical to launching a successful omnichannel campaign this holiday season.

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project44 Acquires Convey, Gains Last Mile Strength

| Mike O'Brien

project44 has acquired Convey for $255 million to create an end-to-end supply chain visibility solution, marrying up the latter’s expertise in last mile to complement its focus up the chain in first and middle mile and all modes of freight, in both B2B and direct-to-consumer realms.

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MCM Top 3PLs 2022: Calling All Leading Providers

| Mike O'Brien

Now in its seventh year for 2022, Multichannel Merchant’s MCM Top 3PL listing showcases leading third-party logistics companies serving ecommerce and direct-to-customer (DTC) businesses. How does your organization measure up? We’re accepting submissions now through Nov. 5, 2021. Be recognized as a true leader in the field!

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FedEx, Salesforce Partner on Joint Solutions

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx and Salesforce are joining forces on a multi-year partnership integrating Salesforce Commerce Cloud and its order management system with FedEx and its ShopRunner subsidiary, in a bid to offer a front-to-back ecommerce and supply chain and fulfillment solution for retailers.