Now that we’re looking toward a fast-approaching peak and 2022, what has changed about last mile constraints, and how can supply chains retain a competitive advantage through last mile operations? Here are some thoughts, looking at the issue through the lens of spend management, cost to serve and capacity constraints.
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.
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.
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.
In an interesting twist, Walmart is offering access to services such as ecommerce order pickup and delivery to smaller retailers via a subscription program through partnering with Adobe, expanding revenue by selling its services a la Amazon’s cloud computing juggernaut.
UPS has ended a freeze on earned discount tiers based on large shipping volume drops caused by COVID-19 lockdowns, with some shippers seeing cost increases in the 10% to 30% range as they suddenly dropped two or three tiers, consultants and shippers report. The freeze ended as the lockdown effects are long over.
Seeing greater demand from customers for immediate fulfillment of ecommerce orders, Bath Bath & Beyond is expanding its same-day delivery to 700 stores covering nearly 16,000 ZIP codes, a near doubling, through a partnership with Roadie. The retailer is also allowing customers to pick up online orders curbside as early as 8 a.m.
ShipBob, a provider of software and services to optimize shipping for ecommerce companies, has raised $200 million in a new funding round, pushing its valuation over the $1 billion mark in a crowded unicorn field as it looks to expand globally and support customers as they add new channels.
Having experienced significant pain in Q4 2020, when millions of orders showed up late, many retailers have stepped up their preparation efforts to ensure holiday shipping 2021 isn’t a case of deja vu. In this report, industry experts and retailers discuss network and supply chain challenges, preparation efforts and mitigation strategies.
Ahead of the upcoming holiday season with its expected surge beyond the “perpetual peak” we’ve been seeing since March of last year, UPS is again issuing surcharges across its services, hitting major shippers particularly hard in a tiered system based on volume.