In a quick counter-salvo, Amazon recently lowered the free shipping threshold for non-Prime members from $49 to $35, a response to Walmart’s move earlier this month.
The speed with which Amazon changed its policy is an indication of just how seriously it is taking ecommerce competition from the world’s largest retailer.
UPS recently conducted a successful drone delivery test to a home in a rural area outside Tampa, FL, launching it from the top of a delivery truck. The drone was from electric truck and drone developer Workhorse Group. See what other drone projects UPS has in the works, how it is working with the FAA and how it sees the future of drone delivery.
FedEx Supply Chain, rebranded from the company’s 2016 acquisition of Genco, is rolling out FedEx Fulfillment, a solution that provides a full suite of warehouse, inventory management and delivery services for small- to medium-sized businesses that is directly competitive with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
Amazon plans to build a $1.5 billion air hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport in Hebron, KY, part of its ever-growing logistics enterprise. Observers continue to believe Amazon’s endgame is to handle shipping and distribution not only for its own fast-growing ecommerce business but for other retailers as well.
In a move similar to UPS and its access point location program launched two years ago, FedEx has struck a deal with Walgreens that will place staffed parcel pickup and dropoff operations at local Walgreens stores.
UPS has acquired British firm Freightex to gain entry into the European truck brokerage market. This comes eight months after FedEx closed its acquisition of Netherlands-based TNT Express. See what a UPS unit executive had to say about the rationale behind the move, how it will be integrated with Coyote Logistics and how it’s positioned in the European market.
It’s never a dull moment with Amazon, which won a patent for an airborne FC, sold 1 billion items the last two months and created another shopping holiday. Find out more about these latest developments from the ecommerce behemoth.
As ecommerce grows, so does the number of third-party logistics providers (3PLs). Check out MCM’s list of the top 3PLs for 2017 that can help you reduce costs and improve customer service.
What do consumers expect and what are businesses offering in ecommerce shipping? How much do free shipping and fast shipping matter? What about returns and tracking? Based on survey data from Shippo, here are key ways you can turn shipping into a competitive advantage.
Retail imports should be up 3.2% this month vs. 2015, as stores bring in the last of holiday merchandise, according to the monthly global port tracker from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. The numbers come as NRF is forecasting $655.8 billion in holiday sales, a 3.6% increase over last year. The NRF saw the increase as a good sign for both the retail industry and the economy overall heading into the latter part of the holiday rush.