MCM CommerceChat podcast

Warehouse Exchange Cuts a Different Path in Warehouse on Demand Space

| Mike O'Brien

Warehouse Exchange uses Artificial Intelligence to match up owners of available commercial space — not including 3PLs — with those needing it on a short-term basis, averaging 10 to 11 months. The company just closed a $2.2 million seed funding round. CEO Grant Langston talks about the company and its differentiators.

Locus robots feature

Locus Robotics Raises $40 Million in New Funding Round

| Mike O'Brien

Locus Robotics, makers of autonomous mobile robots for carriers and 3PLs like UPS, DHL, Ceva Logistics, Taylored Services and ShipMonk, has raised more than $40 million in a Series D funding led Zebra Ventures, along with existing investors like Scale Venture Partners.

Nordstrom Sales Fall but Ecommerce Inches Up, Diversification Continues

| Mike O'Brien

Luxury retail bellwether Nordstrom saw ecommerce growth of 5% to more than $1 billion in the first quarter of 2020, while overall sales dropped nearly 40% as COVID-19 locked down its retail side, the company reported. Nordstrom is also evolving its model to focus more on off price locations and ecommerce than mall stores.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

The Significance of Shops for Facebook, Sellers, Ecommerce

| Mike O'Brien

What is the potential for Facebook Shops? Could it be looking beyond transactions to a WeChat scenario creating a total consumer experience? In this MCM CommerceChat podcast, Andrea Szasz, a principal analyst at Kearney, talks about Facebook’s initiative and how it fits into the bigger picture of ecommerce in the COVID-19 era.

6 Ways Fashion Retailers Can Connect with Customers with Stores on Pause

| Jake Chatt

For fashion retailers, the COVID-19 situation presents an assortment of challenges as not only have people’s priorities and needs changed but, for many, shopping for clothing is an inherently in-person activity. Here are 6 ways fashion retailers can connect with customers online while physical shopping is on pause to drive sales.

Target Sees Ecommerce Soar, But COVID-19 Costs Dampen Earnings

| Mike O'Brien

Target found the COVID-19 outbreak to be a two-edged sword in the first quarter, driving stratospheric ecommerce sales growth of 141%, while impacting profits due to about $500 million in associated costs, the company reported. It also saw over 5 million customers shop on Target.com for the first time in Q1.

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Last Mile Tech Drives the DTC Customer Experience During COVID-19

| May Walter

When DTC brands are able to understand and implement last mile technology providing greater visibility and transparency, they put themselves in a position where they can control the customers’ experience from start to finish, ultimately enhancing it in every way possible. Here are three ways to boost the last-mile experience.

Facebook Shops Lets SMBs Sellers Create Free Ecommerce Storefronts

| Mike O'Brien

Facebook launched of Facebook Shops, a way for small businesses to set up free online storefronts that will stretch across Facebook and Instagram, and eventually across its Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger universe of users as well. It integrates with a number of major ecommerce platforms, excluding Adobe’s Magento.

“No Results Found”: Addressing the Site Search Dead End Dilemma

| Dori Salisbury

If an eager shopper comes to your website with a product in mind and high purchase intent, but then hits a “no results found” page, at best they’ll attempt a couple of variations of the term before bailing and heading to a competitor. To avoid this bad scenario, here are some tips to quickly redirect shoppers and give them options.