Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) have been around since 1934, yet many retailers don’t know the program exists, or anything about the benefits they can realize from deferring or eliminating import duties, tariffs and taxes. This MCM Special Report taps experts in logistics, importing and FTZ operations to help you make an informed choice.
Target brought bad news Wednesday, with Q3 earnings miss plus a warning about a softer Q4, as families make tough budget calls on essentials vs. nonessentials heading into the holidays while high inflation lingers, registering a 7.7% rate in October. The company is calling for a low single-digit decline in Q4 comparable sales, and an operating margin of 3%.
Amazon reported third quarter revenue under estimates and provided a lowered fourth quarter outlook on Thursday, causing yet more jitters on Wall Street and in the industry as retail swings into the home stretch of the peak holiday season, and sending shares down 20% after hours.
This special report from Multichannel Merchant explores the issue of automation and robotics through the lens of project timelines, lead times on equipment, ROI and performance gains. Industry experts provide perspectives on the business case, implementation and integration considerations, shelf life and future proofing and what’s next.
TikTok is looking to create a global logistics infrastructure, including in the U.S., to fulfill merchant orders on its TikTok Shops ecommerce platform, creating a good deal of industry buzz based on its rapid growth as a dominant social media and advertising platform, as first reported by Axios.
More than half of frontline workers (54%) said they would leave their field if something else presented itself, indicating the level of dissatisfaction with these critical positions at a time of low unemployment and the difficulty of staffing up workforces, a new survey found.
Amazon is acquiring Cloostermans, a private Belgian company dating back to 1884. The company makes robotic systems for moving heavy items like stacked pallets and totes to stage products for delivery. Amazon, a customer for some time, will further enhance the technology and likely take it off the market. Terms were not disclosed.
We’ve opened up the submission period for Multichannel Merchant’s annual Top 3PL directory. This is your chance to show off your chops and differentiators to more than 74,000 MCM readers in ecommerce and retail. It’s the industry’s go-to resource for this rapidly evolving market, so don’t miss your opportunity to be represented.
Amazon is jumping on the peak surcharge bandwagon for the first time, asking sellers using its Fulfillment By Amazon service to pay 35 cents more per item for goods sold in the U.S. and Canada, running from Oct. 15 to Jan. 14, according to CNBC. This follows peak fee announcements from both FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service.
The domestic market for industrial space, including retail/ecommerce distribution/fulfillment centers, won’t see relief in terms of an appreciable jump in new facilities available to help meet unprecedented demand until the first half of 2023, as the holiday peak season approaches. The overall U.S. vacancy rate is at a record low of 2.9%.