Despite all the attention paid to skyrocketing returns, most retailers in 2022 still treat them as simply the cost of doing business instead of as a strategic focus area and opportunity for a stepped-up customer experience, and the numbers of a new report bear out that approach.
UPS posted strong Q3 financial results, falling a bit short on revenue vs. the analyst consensus but beating on earnings, as the company was lauded for successfully making network adjustments to falling volumes, unlike rival FedEx’s report about a month ago. The brown carrier also expects peak season volume to be lighter than 2021.
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.
FedEx Ground told its base of 6,000 contractors that domestic peak season volume is expected to be lighter than previously reported, as the company battles headwinds a year after package flow fell below forecasts, causing pain and outcries from contractors who invested heavily in trucks and drivers.
Opex, a maker of warehouse and fulfillment center automation and robotic systems, has filed a second set of lawsuits against two companies alleging infringement of patents for its Perfect Pick automated storage and retrieval (AS/RS) system and its Sure Sort automated sortation system.
Last month, Gap Inc. launched its own fulfillment services platform, making the high-tech, automated network it has invested billions in available for other retailers to take advantage of as the in-house/outsourced services trend continues. Gap fulfillment executive Kevin Kuntz explains more about the offering and the thinking behind it.
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.
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