Amazon Effect Still a Major Driver in DTC, Ecommerce Operations

| Mike O'Brien

The Amazon effect is still having a major impact on DTC and ecommerce operations and fulfillment, judging by the results of the MCM Outlook Survey 2016. This impact is seen in the increasing frequency of same-day and next-day delivery offerings – and providers – as well as the growth in omnichannel operations, now seen as table stakes by many retailers. Find out more about the survey results and how they reflect industry trends.

Week in Review: Amazon As Expected Buys Into Air Freight

| MCM Staff

Ending months of speculation, Amazon says it has leased 20 Boeing 767 cargo jets from Air Transport Services Group Inc., while taking a 20% stake in the Ohio company. This gives Amazon a significant boost in its air freight capacity, as much as 15%, and signals to the major carriers it is eager to control more of its logistics destiny.

MCM Week In Review 3-11-16

| Chris Intili

Multichannel Merchant The News, Commentary & Events that Shaped Commerce This Week week of 03/11/2016 10 Ways A 3PL Can Help Multichannel Companies Operate Profitably Third-party logistics companies or 3PL … Continue Reading →

10 Ways A 3PL Can Help Multichannel Companies Operate Profitably

| Curt Barry

Third-party logistics companies or 3PL providers can help ecommerce and direct-to-customer merchants expand internal fulfillment operations without large outlays. In the past five years some large companies have entered the market with extremely competitive services and costs.To help in the decision process, here are 10 ways that 3PLs have helped companies do just that.

Choosing the Right Order Fulfillment Automation Solution

| Mike O'Brien

For a growing number of merchant companies, automated systems have become a way to address the issues of increasing throughput and order accuracy while decreasing returns. In addition to accuracy, often the biggest driver of automation decisions, the ability to achieve higher throughput per headcount, increasing efficiency while keeping down labor costs, is also paramount.

O+F Advisor 3-9-16

| Chris Intili

Multichannel Merchant Operations & Fulfillment Strategies & Tactics week of 3/9/2016 Managing Scalable Growth Across Your Ecommerce Operations As you grow your digital offerings, you must accurately gauge when and … Continue Reading →

JD.com’s Net Revenues from Online Direct Sales Increased 55% in 2015

| Tim Parry

JD.com’s net revenues from online direct sales increased by 55%, while net revenues from services and others increased by 110% in the full year of 2015, as compared to the full year of 2014, primarily due to the increased revenues from JD.com’s rapidly expanding online marketplace, advertising services and third-party logistics services.

Week in Review: UPS Invests in Deliv to Learn About Same-Day Market

| MCM Staff

UPS took a big leap this week by investing in crowdsourced startup Deliv, getting a seat on its board and a front-row seat on its operating model. Stay tuned to see how the carrier is able to leverage this relationship to better understand and take advantage of the burgeoning sector of the on-demand economy.

13 Steps To Help You Plan An ERP System File Conversion

| Curt Barry

An ERP system file conversion “don’t get no respect,” as Rodney Dangerfield would say. Everyone knows they need to write programs and convert files. However, it’s not uncommon to leave off detailed discussion of which files and tables to convert, what data fields and how much data (this year’s only or how many years’ history) until the implementation. So to help, here are 13 steps to help you navigate the often tedious but critical process.

Room for Improvement: 5 Steps to Better Retail Warehouse Selection

| Fabio Duque

With hundreds of millions of square feet of public space available for your retail warehouse in North America alone, how can your company do the best possible job of differentiating between facilities? Just as important, how can it choose the retail warehouse space that will be a perfect fit? Here are some tips that can help make the selection process a great success.