Operations & Fulfillment
Study Predicts Growing Demand for Protective Packaging
A new study from market research firm Freedonia predicts that demand for protective packaging in the U.S. will grow 4.6% annually over the next four years. The protective packaging industry will increase from $4.1 billion currently to more than $5 billion by 2012.
A Look at Two New Systems from the U.K.
Two systems making their debut on Multichannel Merchant’s upcoming annual software roundup are imports from the U.K.: 1) Omnica, a new solution developed on the Microsoft Axapta platform, and represented in this country by nFocus in Deerfield, IL; and 2) the ActiveSeries, a suite of veteran SQL/Server applications installed in several dozen U.K. facilities, represented here by Datamann in Wilder, VT.
On the Return Trip: Managing Reverse Logistics
Multichannel marketers need to pay just as much attention to reverse logistics, or the process taking goods back into “forward-available” inventory, as they do getting goods out the door to customers. Why? Because returns are a fact of life: Return rates commonly range from 5% for hard goods and gifts to more than 25% for shoes and apparel.
NY Web Tax Law Not So Scary?
After the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance issued a Technical Services Bulletin (TSB-M-08(3)S) on May 8 regarding a new law requiring online merchants to collect state sales taxes, the tax counsel for the Direct Marketing Association said the legislation is now viewed as
Live From ACCM: Trading With a Conscience
When Fair Indigo launched 18 months ago, it incorporated all three channels
Drs. Foster and Smith Signs on with Bill Me Later
Drs. Foster and Smith, a provider of pet supplies and information, is now offering its customers the ability to pay for Website and catalog purchases with Bill Me Later, a secure alternative payments system which allows online shoppers to purchase items without the use of a credit card and pay for them later.
E-Learning Systems Revolutionizing Call Center Training
It wasn’t until about five years ago that e-learning systems started seeing rapid adoption in the call center industry. Today, most enterprises are using e-learning in their contact centers, and many small to medium sized business have also discovered the many advantages it brings for improving agent performance.
An Inside Look at Logistics from Asia
A retired vice president for DHL, Gerard