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Parcel Delivery Jobs Slashed in February, But Overall Trend is Up

| Mike O'Brien

Parcel delivery companies saw some post-peak falloff, eliminating 9,700 positions in February even as jobs grew in other sectors while hiring overall cooled, according to the Department of Labor, the Wall Street Journal reported. Overall 53,000 parcel delivery jobs were added in the past 12 months, and warehouse hiring also remains strong.

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FedEx to Test Delivery Robots This Summer

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx is planning to test delivery robots this summer for customers including Walmart and Pizza Hut, while Target and AutoZone are looking at the capability, according to Reuters. The 10 mph robots would have to be approved by the city of Memphis. This is one innovative way companies are looking to cut last mile costs.

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4 Ways Ecommerce Operations Summit Brings Practical DTC Solutions

| Brian Barry

Where do you go to learn what solutions and strategies others in ecommerce and omnichannel have successfully implemented? Ecommerce Operations Summit 2019, April 9-11 in Columbus, OH, is totally geared to all things DTC. It’s the perfect venue to validate your approach, save on costs and improve the customer experience.

Stamps.com Stuns by Parting Ways with USPS, Looks to Other Carriers

| Mike O'Brien

In a bold and unexpected move, Stamps.com, which built its business through an exclusive shipping partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, is now severing that relationship as it seeks to offer its ecommerce customers more options, while keeping a sharp eye on Amazon logistics. See what the CEO had to say and how analysts reacted.

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Ryder Introduces Ecommerce Fulfillment Service

| Mike O'Brien

Transportation and supply chain provider Ryder System has unveiled a new ecommerce fulfillment service offering designed to compete with full-service platforms such as Amazon and Google as well as major carriers by providing a soup-to-nuts system for shipping directly to customers.

Amazon Officially Calls Out Carriers as Competitors

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon’s moves into logistics and fulfillment over the past few years have been well-documented, with FedEx and UPS downplaying the threat and Amazon saying it just wants to address its capacity shortfalls. Until now, that is, when Amazon added “transportation and logistics services” to the long list of competitive sectors in its 2018 10k filing.

Vacant Retail Locations Being Repurposed for Ecommerce Fulfillment

| Mike O'Brien

In an indicator of the continuing evolution of retail, more shuttered stores and malls are being converted to industrial space, especially for ecommerce fulfillment, according to a new report from commercial real estate firm CBRE. See where this is happening, what the drivers are and the prevailing local headwinds.