In the MCM Outlook 2014 survey, the largest number of respondents (26%) said UPS was their primary global carrier, followed by FedEx and the United States Post Office (18%) and DHL (12%). This outcome may be the result of a largely U.S.-based audience, as DHL is generally considered the world’s shipping/logistics leader, followed by FedEx and UPS.
FedEx reported Q1 revenue and earnings that beat analyst expectations, and announced plans for 50,000+ seasonal hires to deal with holiday shipping volumes.
FedEx expects to hire more than 50,000 seasonal workers for the peak holiday season, Mike Glenn, President and CEO of FedEx Services, said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call.
FedEx announced a 4.9% increase in FedEx Ground, FedEx Express and FedEx Freight, effective January 5, doing so for the first time ahead of rival UPS.
UPS is calling for 90,000 to to 95,000 temporary workers to handle the holiday season’s shipping crunch, a significant increase over 2013.
The same-day delivery sweepstakes certainly seems to be heating up as the summer nears the end. Just this past week, Foot Locker, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s all announced plans this week to test or roll out same-day delivery.
Whole Foods Market to be first national Instacart partner to offer both delivery and convenient in-store pickup.
Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s to help launch Apple Pay; same-day delivery to be piloted in fall 2014; new POS technology and customer service enhancements in testing; new apps, web functionality and mobile wallet launched; RFID being expanded to fashion categories.
Steps that retailers should take to prepare for dimensional weight pricing that is taking effect at the end of the year.
In a first in the athletic footwear and apparel space, Foot Locker has started a trial of same-day/next-day delivery at five stores in California, with plans to roll it out at its 1,300 locations across the U.S. and Canada