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USPS Tests New Local Delivery Service in Texas

| Mike O'Brien

While UPS buys its way into last mile and on-demand delivery with Roadie, the U.S. Postal Service is piloting a same/next-day delivery service in Texas, geared toward local business-to-consumer orders that companies bring to a local USPS office to get a discounted rate. Experts questioned its value and market relevance.

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Point Pickup Acquires GrocerKey, Builds Instacart Alternative

| Mike O'Brien

Point Pickup, a provider of last-mile services for grocers, general merchandise and oversize goods, has acquired ecommerce platform GrocerKey, providing an end-to-end solution for retailers looking to own the customer experience and data often missing from third-party solutions like Instacart.

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Assessing Your Dock-to-Stock Efficiency

| Brian Barry

Dock-to-stock time is a KPI measuring the time from receipt on your dock to a pickable or bulk reserve location. The process involves aspects of purchase order writing, inbound transportation, receiving, staging, inspection and put away. Here’s eight steps to help you assess your processes, identify problems and lay out an action plan.

Ecommerce 3PLs: Sorting Posers from Pros

| Kamran Iqbal

With peak season upon us, vetting prospective ecommerce 3PLs should focus on their ability to execute under peak conditions. While some may be good at a few aspects of ecommerce operations, the ability to scale up is crucial, and doing so end to end is a rare quality indeed. Here’s how to separate the 3PL posers from the pros.

The outsourcers who can truly do it all according to each brand’s requirements are the real pros. 3PLs that can’t do it all – at scale – are just posers.

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Customer Service: 3 Golden Rules for 2021

| Greg Hanover

Delivering a prime customer service experience is not just about having enough staff or responding in a timely and efficient manner. Customers have options, and in order to keep customers in your corner, you have to ensure that the customer service team is not only strong, but supported, informed, and experienced.

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Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021: It’s Here!

| Mike O'Brien

Hard to believe it, but it’s here! Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021 is kicking off this Tuesday, Aug. 17 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, and we have lots of great things on tap for you as we regather in person as a community of ecommerce/DTC operations and fulfillment professionals.

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As 3PL Demand Grows, Partner Selection is Critical

| Mike O'Brien

Consumers focus on curbside pickup, fast delivery, trouble-free returns and seamless experiences, but retailers face heightened fulfillment challenges, leading more of them to embrace 3PLs. And getting it right is essential. This special report dives into the trends, outlining key decision factors when considering a 3PL partnership.

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E-Grocery Frequency Increasing, Gallup Finds

| Mike O'Brien

Even a year-plus into the pandemic, more U.S. consumers are leaning into e-grocery and less are visiting stores, according to a new study from Gallup, reflecting continued uncertainty and concern among shoppers. Overall, the percentages of consumers using e-grocery remain in the single digits.

Four Tech Trends Accelerating a Retail Revival

| NedHayes

Consumers are bringing their spending back to offline retailers in 2021, and a now a retail revival, and a likely boost to in-person retail, has already begun. Here are four key technology trends that your brick-and-mortar store can use to accelerate customer engagement in the coming consumer wave.

Large Brands Going DTC, But Hurdles Remain

| Jimmy Duvall

On the surface DTC seems like a no-brainer: Cut out the middleman, increase margins, gain customer insights in an increasingly crowded retail marketplace. However, this pivot will still be difficult for larger brands. Let’s take a look at some of the roadblocks and lessons retailers can learn from those who have been successful.