While you have little control over an order once it’s out for delivery, your operations team is still a crucial cog in the last mile experience. You need the right processes and technology to get products to the customer as efficiently and accurately as possible for a smoother delivery and a better experience.
Grocery giant Kroger is adding voice ordering to its online arsenal, interestingly hitching its wagon to the Google Assistant voice app and not to Amazon’s Echo, at six of its associated brands, the company announced. See what else Kroger is up to as well as other tech skirmishes in the escalating online grocery wars.
Pouring more water into its moat, Amazon has totally eliminated shipping charges this holiday season, removing the $25 threshold for non-Prime members on items ordered in time for Christmas delivery. Amazon is also hiring and managing thousands of seasonal delivery drivers to handle the holiday crush.
The growth in online sales, the scarcity of ecommerce fulfillment space and increasing customer demands have all merged to drive interest in a particular kind of offering: Warehouse-as-a-Service (WaaS). Find out what’s behind the trend and what some startups and traditional 3PLs are doing to meet the need.
In the never-ending pursuit of Amazon and seeking separation from other foes like Walmart, Target has announced the availability of same-day delivery in 46 states ahead of the peak holiday season from Thanksgiving through Christmas, while also eliminating its $35 order threshold for free two-day shipping as of Nov. 1.
Amazon is reportedly experimenting with robotic arms that can visually identify items on a conveyor, pick them up using a compressed air vacuum gripper and place them on a table or shelf. At the same time the company says publicly the state of the art isn’t there yet to handle the wide variety of products it stores and sells.
While Amazon can spend $21.7 billion on shipping to meet growing customer expectations, everyone else can’t and ecommerce entrepreneurs need to develop a well-thought-out strategy to address evolving demands. You need to consider these four factors before investing in the urban fulfillment center trend.
