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Delivery Failures Hit Nearly 75% of Consumers

| Chris Jones

Against a backdrop of supply chain disruption, the ecommerce boom and worldwide driver shortages over the last several years, many brands have faced hurdles concerning fulfillment while logging more home deliver failures. Although some have tailored their strategies to overcome them, others haven’t been quite as successful.

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Amazon Reports $3.8B Loss, Looks at Rocky Near Term

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon’s vaunted flywheel has hit a bit of a snag. But given the company’s superpower ability to continually evolve and innovate, and the general trajectory of double-digit ecommerce growth, it may end up looking like a speed bump in hindsight.

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Farmstead Looks to the Burbs for E-Grocery Growth

| Mike O'Brien

E-grocery platform Farmstead is expanding into suburban markets with an offering tailored to the mass market. It targets the 70% of suburban consumers shopping mid-market grocers and have few delivery options. Co-founder and CEO Pradeep Elankumaran, talks about the business model, outsourcing of its tech stack and expansion plans.

Sustainable Packaging: Why It Matters and How to Source It

| Brendan Heegan

Sustainability is more than just good for the planet; it’s good PR for your company. That’s why you should consider adding sustainable packaging to your repertoire. It helps your company meet sustainability goals while giving eco-conscious consumers a better choice. Here’s how to go about sourcing sustainable packaging.

Verizon lockers

Verizon Rolls Out Pickup Lockers

| Mike O'Brien

To the ubiquitous BOPIS, Verizon is now adding BOPIL, aka buy online, pickup at locker, at 250 of its retail locations, to add a layer of convenience and checkout option for its customers, citing consumer data showing consumer interest is growing. Some locations provide 24-hour access, and more lockers are being added monthly.

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UPS Beats on Profit Even as U.S. Volume Drops

| Mike O'Brien

UPS reported higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings, even as domestic volume declined for the second consecutive quarter, as its pricing strategy and focus on profitable business over volume continues to pay lucrative dividends during the ongoing ecommerce boom. SMB and B2B growth continue to be strong.

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Former Amazon Exec: Bets a Critical Component of Innovation

| Ian McRae

A former Amazon executive shared insights and tactics for retailers looking to innovate and reduce friction to deliver a better customer experience with a diverse group of executives gathered recently at Ecommerce Operations Technology Summit 2022 in Orlando. 

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Amazon Program Lets Retailers Offer Prime Delivery

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is taking another step to build its ecommerce fulfillment domination by allowing its 200 million-plus Prime members to purchase products from other retailers, who will be charged fees to offer Prime-like services like free two-day and next-day delivery.

autonomous middle mile Ryder Gatik

Autonomous Middle Mile: Exploring the Future

| Mike O'Brien

Executives from Ryder, Gatik and enVista joined a professor from Georgia Tech to discuss the latest technology and trends in autonomous middle mile trucks for retail and ecommerce replenishment, during a panel on the topic at Ecommerce Operations Technology Summit 2022 in Orlando.

Using a 3PL to Save on Operational Costs

| Brian Barry

Using a 3PL isn’t for everyone. But escalating labor costs, requirements for a new facility, starting a new business or channel and avoiding capital costs are reasons we see companies comparing internal fulfillment to 3PL. Here are six major ways businesses have traditionally saved money and reduced capital using 3PLs in their supply chain.