Consumers have gotten more comfortable ordering bigger, bulkier items online and having them shipped to their homes, covering categories like furniture, home improvement products and housewares. This is now coming at a cost for shippers, especially as the rule has changed for additional handling charges from FedEx and UPS.
Saying the market hasn’t been rewarding the company as it should, the board of XPO Logistics said the company was exploring strategic options including the sale or spinoff of up to four business units, which would not include its less-than-truckload shipping business. It has retained Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan as financial advisors.
A month after prohibiting third-party sellers from using FedEx Ground and FedEx Home for Prime orders due to alleged on-time performance issues, Amazon is now saying they’re back on the nice list. Amazon said the performance issues have been resolved to its satisfaction, allowing 3P sellers to use the services again.
Walmart is expanding its fleet of shelf-scanning robots, adding 650 this year for a total of 1,000 as it looks to address nettlesome grocery out-of-stock issues and battle competitors with the technology like Ahold Delhaize’s Stop & Shop, Giant Eagle and Schnuck’s. It has also launched a micro fulfillment center at a New Hampshire store.
Customers may enjoy an element of surprise with their subscription box contents – but not when it comes to order details. Successful subscription companies make it a priority to educate customers about the fulfillment process and manage expectations. You should be able to anticipate and address these 5 customer questions.
To combat the growing problem of returns, which continue to eat away at profit margins, the Retail Value Chain Federation and returns prevention software provider Newmine have created the Product Returns Council to work on solutions. Both will take part in a returns workshop at Ecommerce Operations Summit, April 14-16 in Orlando.
SEKO Logistics has acquired New York-based freight forwarder and cross-border ecommerce firm Air-City, Inc. for an undisclosed sum as it looks to expand its shipping capabilities into China and add resources and infrastructure in the critical New York area. A year ago, SEKO acquired GoodShip International Inc. in Chicago.
A state court judge in California ruled in favor of truckers seeking an exemption from AB5, which broadly restricted use of contractors by requiring reclassification as employees. On Dec. 31, a federal judge issued a similar ruling temporarily exempting truck drivers from the Jan. 1 implementation of AB5; it was extended on Jan. 13.
Order picking is one of the most important functions in the ecommerce fulfillment center. The customer experience can be a good or bad one based on accuracy and timeliness. Assess your operations to determine how and at what cost changes can be made to processes, technology and automation.
A day after Christmas, UPS affirmed and updated its expectation that it would process just shy of 2 million returns on Jan. 2, 2020, representing a seventh consecutive record-breaking National Returns Day. But is Dec. 26 really the day retailers and ecommerce companies need to pay attention to? You be the judge.