How Fairytale Brownies Tackles Big Operational Challenges

| Tim Parry

Life isn’t a piece of cake for small merchants, even if they sell something as sweet as brownies. David Kravetz talks about some of the ways Fairytale Brownies tackles the operational challenges they face as they compete in the marketplace.

Big Operational Changes Needed for Holiday 2014

| Kevin Sghia

If Holiday 2013 demonstrated anything to ecommerce merchants, it was that we need better ways to meet customer expectations and deliver products. So what did we as an industry learn during this challenging holiday season? Here are key observations by ecommerce and catalog operations experts.

Warehouse/Distribution Center, distribution center, fulfillment center, Walmart, QVC, Simon & Schuster, FedEx, Urban Outfitters, Conn's HomePlus

3 Must-Haves for a Successful Try-Before-You-Buy Policy

| Maria Haggerty

At-home try-on merchants such as Warby Parker mitigate many of the uncertainties and anxieties around purchasing online, but pose significant logistic and fulfillment challenges for retailers. Before offering try-before-you-buy, it’s important to understand the logistic and fulfillment implications associated with these types of policies. Here are three key tips you need to master in order to be a successful free, at-home try-on policy.

ecommerce fulfillment, shipping data, distribution data, Warehouse/Distribution Center, ecommerce shipping, direct-to-customer fulfillment

Untangling the Retail Supply Chain with Real-Time Analytics

| Dale Skeen

Retail supply chains are longer and more tangled than ever – the complexity of the data coupled with high customer expectations around service and reliability are taxing traditional approaches to supply chain management to their limits. In this article you will learn how to pinpoint problems faster, make adjustments quickly, prevent missed deliveries, and catch those out-of-stock situations before they can impact the customer.

Amazon Patents Futuristic Fulfillment Process

| Erin Lynch

In an effort to draw an even larger gap between itself and its competitors, Amazon has been awarded a patent that could potentially ship products to consumers before they even place an order. Welcome to Amazon’s new, futuristic fulfillment.

ecommerce fulfillment, shipping data, distribution data, Warehouse/Distribution Center, ecommerce shipping, direct-to-customer fulfillment

Using Big Data to Improve Contact Center Operations

| Erin Lynch

While big data might seem like it generally falls into the silo of the marketing department, more and more merchants are finding out that not only is it just as beneficial in the contact center, but it could also give you an edge against your competitors.

Returns, returns policy, holiday returns, retail, online retail, ecommerce, ecommerce fulfillment, operations and fulfillment, shipping/delivery

How to Maximize Returns Efficiencies and Minimize Cost

| Erin Lynch

As more and more merchants focus their ecommerce energy into creating a customer-centric organization, one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition is through your returns policy. Regardless of why a consumer returns a good, there are ways for merchants to develop an effective and efficient returns process that keeps customers coming back for more.