Nike to Stop Selling on Amazon, Two Years In

| Mike O'Brien

Seeing the future as more DTC and under its control, Nike has decided to stop selling on Amazon’s marketplace after a two-year experiment, CNBC is reporting. The news follows shortly after Nike’s hiring of board member John Donahoe, chairman of PayPal and former CEO of eBay, as its new president and CEO, replacing Mark Parker.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

Dealing with Front-to-Back Risk Factors in Ecommerce Operations

| Mike O'Brien

In our latest MCM CommerceChat podcast, we talk to Robyn Meyer, partner, enterprise solutions at Transportation Insight, about challenges and opportunities in this disruptive environment, as well as some strategy, process and system changes companies can make to improve profitability and performance.

Alibaba Sets Another Singles Day Record With $38.4B in GMV

| Douglas P. Clement

Alibaba set another Singles Day record this year on 11/11/19, recording $38.4 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) during the 24-hour promotion created as a reverse spin on Valentine’s Day 10 years ago, up 25% from last year. By comparison, Adobe is forecasting $29 billion in total ecommerce sales for Cyber Weekend 2019.

USPS truck in snow feature

USPS Expecting 800 Million Holiday Packages, Down from Past Years

| Mike O'Brien

The U.S. Postal Service is projecting it will handle 800 million packages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, a drop from both 2018 and 2017. Sunday delivery will be expanded beginning Nov. 24 to high-volume urban locations, with projections of over 8 million package deliveries on Sundays in December.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

How Major Carriers UPS, FedEx Have Been Diverging on Services, Prices

| Mike O'Brien

For many years, UPS and FedEx were in virtual lockstep on pricing and service offerings. That is until the past couple years, when they’ve begun to diverge as they seek to differentiate and carve out different market strategies. Mark Taylor of enVista discusses these changes as part of an MCM CommerceChat podcast.

Multiple Factors Weigh into Parcel Carrier Choices for Ecommerce Shippers

| Mike O'Brien

With shipping and delivery such a critical piece of the customer experience in ecommerce, you need to choose the right carrier partner – or partners – that meet your business needs and fit your budget. Hear from shippers about how they determine the best fit and mix of service level and cost, and how they work with their carrier partners.

mobile ads illustration feature

Amazon Drives 115% Rise in Ecommerce Ad Spend During Q3

| Douglas P. Clement

Spending on ecommerce ads rose 115% in the third quarter compared to last year, and was up 51% over Q2, driven largely by Amazon, a seasonal surge for Prime Day and a strong back-to-school season. A new Q3 report from Marin Software also showed that mobile continues its dominance.

UPS Says National Returns Day Will Be 26% Higher Than 2019

| Mike O'Brien

UPS is projecting a 26% increase on “national returns day” on Jan. 2, when 1.9 million inbound packages are expected to hit its network as Q4 ecommerce continues to balloon. Another somewhat smaller returns peak of 1.6 million packages/day will hit the week of Dec. 16; the daily average that month will be 1 million, UPS said.

7 Tips for Adding Ecommerce to Your Subscription Box Business

| Nicole Lee

Many subscription box customers are interested in purchasing additional items, so adding an ecommerce channel can enable merchants to enhance the experience while generating a new revenue stream. This requires some operational adjustments. Here are 7 ways to help ensure success with your subscription ecommerce fulfillment.