Costco
Walmart Expands Store-Based Grocery Fulfillment Automation
Walmart is taking another huge leap forward in its attempt to dominate grocery sales, launching an aggressive plan to increase the number of stores using micro fulfillment via automation and robotics to speed orders to local customers as it builds on the digital legacy of the departing Marc Lore. Dozens of such locations are planned.
Holiday Returns Cost Expected to Double
After the explosion in holiday ecommerce, comes the flood of holiday returns, expected to cost retailers $1.1 billion, twice what it did in 2020, according to data from Narvar. goTRG and Returnly both said Dec. 26 was the peak day for consumers to initiate returns. UPS traditionally lists Jan. 2 as peak returns day for transit of returns.
Seismic Shifts Bringing a New Normal to Ecommerce Operations and Fulfillment
What will the world of ecommerce operations and fulfillment look like after World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 pandemic ends? The answer, like predictions of that date, is uncertain. But industry experts firmly believe that the seismic shifts that began in February 2020 will create a new normal in ecommerce operations.
Coronavirus Impacts Being Felt Far and Wide in Retail, Ecommerce
Escalating concerns over the spread of the coronavirus are affecting every industry and sector, and retail and ecommerce are certainly no exception. This includes not only challenged supply chains in Asia and other affected countries but also things like runs on certain products in supermarkets and price clubs as consumers panic.
Target Breaks Into Top 10 for U.S. Ecommerce Sales
Target’s strong focus on ecommerce, including a 2019 holiday push on fast delivery options and BOPIS, has propelled it into the top 10 for U.S. ecommerce sales, according to a new report from eMarketer. Target checks in at No. 8 with projected 2020 U.S. ecommerce sales of $8.34 billion, increasing its share from 1.1% to 1.2%.
DTC Mattress Brand Casper Sleep’s IPO Filing Raises Doubts
The global sleep company Casper, in a crowded field of mattress-in-a-box companies going direct to customer it helped spawn, has been a darling of the business and lifestyle press, That is, until it recently filed for an IPO, and pundits and the business press attacked the CEO for his obsession with a unicorn valuation.
Extend Raises $16.4M, Aims to Make Extended Warranties Broadly Available
Extend, a provider of extended warranty programs, has raised $16.4 million in new capital and acquired assets from Aon division Affinity Insurance Services as it looks to make warranty programs available beyond enterprise-scale retailers. The company said current clients have combined annual sales of more than $11.5 billion.
Amazon, Walmart Will Dominate E-Grocery Food Sales Through 2024
Amazon and Walmart will continue to slug it out atop the world of global e-grocery food sales, with the ecommerce giant projected to pass the world’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer by 2024 with revenues of $15 billion, compared to $14 billion, according to a new report from research firm Edge by Ascential. The projected CAGR through 2024 is 13%.
