Smaller Fulfillment Centers Seeing Greater Demand vs. Large Boxes

| Mike O'Brien

Multiple factors are driving continued greater demand for smaller warehouse facilities vs. big-box fulfillment centers, as companies scramble to position inventory closer to customers and trim ecommerce supply chain costs, according to a new report from CBRE. Vacancy rates are dropping further and rents growing faster for smaller FCs.

8 Supply Chain Strategies to Improve Your Ecommerce Business

| Brian Barry

Many ecommerce fulfillment centers spend much of their time implementing reactive tactics without ever thinking through the strategy of what they’re trying to achieve. Often the terms “tactics” and “strategy” are incorrectly used interchangeably. Here are 8 supply chain strategies to help you improve your ecommerce operations.

REI, Neiman Marcus to Keynote at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2020

| Mike O'Brien

Keynote presentations from supply chain executives at REI and Neiman Marcus will headline Ecommerce Operations Summit 2020, which will be held April 14-16 at the Marriott Orlando World Center. The show will be packed with great sessions and thought leaders across a range of key topics and disciplines.

Robotic Arm Startup Osaro Raises $16 Million in New Funding

| Mike O'Brien

Osaro, a San Francisco startup that makes robotic arms for ecommerce picking as well as vision and control software that can be integrated with other robotic solutions, has raised $16 million in a series B round, according to various reports. Early investors include former Facebook president Sean Parker and PayPal founder Peter Thiel.

The Operational Impacts of Personalizing Subscription Ecommerce

| Nicole Lee

There’s no doubt that subscribers want to feel special. Subscription commerce companies can satisfy their desire by personalizing offerings in a few different ways. But these all add to the complexity of order fulfillment operations. Here are a few factors to consider when looking to personalize your subscription commerce offerings.

How to Negotiate an Ecommerce 3PL Contract in 9 Steps

| Brian Barry

Many multichannel companies have found 3PLs to be comparably priced to internal ecommerce fulfillment while providing quality services. But negotiating a contract to work with a 3PL partner takes time plus a combination of business sense and legal guidance. As you build an agreement, here are 9 key considerations to keep in mind.

Calling All Top 3PL Providers for MCM List: Do You Have What It Takes?

| Mike O'Brien

Now in its fifth year, Multichannel Merchant’s MCM Top 3PLs is a listing of leading third-party logistics providers in ecommerce and direct-to-customer (D2C) operations and fulfillment. To create the 2020 listing, we’re looking for a few good 3PLs. How does your organization measure up? You have until Nov. 7 to complete a submission.

Ecommerce Operations Summit 2020 Set to Rock Orlando

| Mike O'Brien

There’s a little bit of everything on tap at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2020, to be held April 14-16 in wonderful Orlando, FL. From keynotes by executives at Neiman Marcus and REI to new e-grocery and robotics tracks, preconference workshops and lots of great networking, it’s a not-to-be-missed event for industry pros.

Prologis warehouse

Amazon, Home Depot Leasing Space in Three-Story Warehouse in Seattle

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon and Home Depot will become tenants of a new state-of-the-art, three-story warehouse and fulfillment center in Seattle from logistics giant Prologis, part of the huge push to fulfill ecommerce within a day in major urban markets, according to the Wall Street Journal. Three other such buildings are going up in New York City.

9 Steps to Develop, Implement a Vendor Compliance Program

| Brian Barry

Vendor compliance is achieved when a merchandise vendor shipping a retailer’s purchase order satisfies the retailer’s requirements, typically specified as a condition of the retailer-vendor relationship and the purchase order negotiated by the retailer. Here are 9 tips to help you develop a successful vendor compliance program.