3PLs and 4PLs have both seen an explosion in popularity and are now being used to ship all kinds of goods. Each offers big potential benefits for retailers to outsource major elements of their supply chain. Here are some of the main differences between them and pluses and minuses to help you decide which is right for your business.
Big data presents supply chain and ecommerce fulfillment center managers with an unprecedented opportunity to acquire real-time visibility of goods in transit and part of inventory. But this also comes with a set of challenges, not least of which is how to manage the resulting flow of information without becoming drowned in data.
Absolute productivity has declined in many ecommerce fulfillment centers because productivity has not kept up with the rate of increased costs. Some larger companies are paying $18 to $20 per hour in some markets. With this in mind, here are 6 ways to become more efficient and reduce costs in your ecommerce fulfillment operations.
It’s an open question whether Louis DeJoy will survive in his highly politicized position as Postmaster General long enough to see the wide-ranging reforms he wants to enact realized, or at least started. Considering the critical importance of the USPS, with its every-ZIP-every-door-every-day mandate, a lot hangs in the balance.
This report from Multichannel Merchant focuses on last-mile challenges faced by retailers, and how they’re focusing on technology and strategic adjustments to deliver speed, visibility, and accuracy. To achieve this, many are turning to multi-carrier shipping software that can be integrated with their existing technology stack.
As container ships piled up at the blocked Suez Canal for six days, an already serious issue of port congestion has grown worse, rippling down to longer delays on consumer orders as inventories deplete with goods hung up in transit. Some chokepoints have seen easing but shippers continue to scramble and costs rise.
Last week Amazon spent $131 billion for a 19.5% share in ATSG, which operates aircraft it leases. And many believe Amazon Logistics is looking to restart delivering non-Amazon volume from its shippers. So what is up with all this activity and investment? We talk with Kiri Masters of Bobsled Marketing about the pieces that are in place.
Shipping delays and supply chain disruptions are nothing new in ecommerce, but this past year has definitely been a challenge. Yet on-time delivery has become a staple of ecommerce. Although not all aspects of the logistics side of things are within your control, you can take steps to ensure satisfaction on every order.
A new report from the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and McKinsey & Co. highlights how sticky the digital shift has become over the past year, and how important personalization, supply chain optimization, omnichannel and sustainability have become to ensure survival in the new landscape.
Nimble Robotics, a maker of order picking and packing robots for ecommerce, is the latest fulfillment automation maker to join the massive VC gravy train of late in ecommerce technology, raising $50 million in Series A financing in a round led by DNS Capital and GSR Ventures.