U.S. E-Grocery Sales Hit $7.2 Billion in June, Up 9% from May

| Mike O'Brien

E-grocery sales continued to spike upward in June, increasing 9% over May to $7.2 billion as pandemic-fueled consumer behavior followed a hockey stick pattern, according to a survey conducted by Brick Meets Click on behalf of Mercatus. 45.6 million households placed e-grocery orders in June, up from 43 million in May.

Walmart+ Coming Soon, Cheaper Alternative to Amazon Prime

| Mike O'Brien

After putting it off for four months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Walmart plans to finally roll out its own $98 a year subscription program this month to challenge the outright dominance of Amazon Prime. It will reportedly include access to Walmart’s new two-hour grocery delivery service, deals and discount gas, Recode reported.

FedEx Beats Q4 Expectations, Driven by Massive Surge in Ecommerce

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx surprised to the upside in Q4, its laser focus on ecommerce capabilities in recent years paying off in terms of responsiveness to massive online buying, even as service stumbles were reported in a couple states. It seemed none the worse for having parted ways with Amazon in 2019 to seek more profitable customer relationships.

A Logistics Evolution in DTC is Part of the New Normal

| Don White

To succeed in this new world of retail disruption and ever-shifting customer demands, smart brands are moving to a direct model. The benefits of DTC can be substantial but require a dramatic retooling of operations, from customer service to returns management, direct merchandising, direct delivery and warehousing and logistics.

Postmates Weighing Either IPO or Being Acquired, Possibly by Uber

| Mike O'Brien

Postmates is considering either an IPO or an acquisition by Uber to augment the latter’s own Uber Eats delivery services as its core ride hailing suffers during the pandemic, according to several media reports. The fourth largest U.S. food delivery service has also received a second offer from a special purpose acquisition company.

Not Just Product Packaging: The Ecommerce-Environment Conflict

| Noah Rue

Ecommerce utilizes far too much product packaging, which adversely affects the environment. However, even if there was a marked reduction, the very nature of the industry still impacts environmental health in a big way. All aspects of the supply chain, from materials to transportation, can benefit from significant improvements.

curbside pickup sign omnichannel

3 Tips for SMBs to Turn COVID-19 Customers into Long-Term Loyalists

| Krish Iyer

Not only have small businesses been able to rise to customers’ heightened expectations during the pandemic shutdown as they pivoted to ecommerce, they stepped up and filled major supply gaps. SMBs now have a window of opportunity to convert one-time customers into long-term loyalists, and here’s how they can do so.

9 Ways to Make Your Ecommerce Fulfillment Process Change a Success

| Brian Barry

There is no end to the process of reducing labor, saving time, making better use of ecommerce fulfillment center space and reducing costs and errors. To be competitive, flexible and survive in these turbulent times, continuous process improvement is critical. Here are 9 steps to consider when implementing this type of program.