3PL vs. Internal Fulfillment: Comparing Costs

| Brian Barry

For some ecommerce and multichannel companies, using third-party fulfillment (3PL) can be a viable alternative and provide high customer service as an option to internal fulfillment. The burning question for management: “How will it compare in terms of costs?” Here’s a step-by-step process for conducting your analysis.

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10 Ecommerce Fulfillment Trends to Pursue in 2021

| Perry Belcastro

The past year has redefined how Americans shop. Ecommerce, BOPIS and curbside are table stakes, and free shipping is expected. What exactly does that mean for ecommerce fulfillment operations? Now more than ever, they must be strategic, sophisticated and responsive. Here are 10 key areas to pursue in 2021.

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Establishing the Right KPIs for Ecommerce Fulfillment Operations

| Perry Belcastro

As ecommerce sales ramp up, especially heading into the holidays, merchants face growing pressure to deliver the perfect order. To meet customer expectations, you need to get the right product to the right customer at the right place and the right time. To do so, you need to establish meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs).

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Ware2Go, Google Fast-Free Shipping Offers Aim at Conversion Lift

| Mike O'Brien

Ware2Go, a UPS-owned provider of fulfillment on demand through partnership with warehouse owners, via an integration with Google Shopping, lets merchants offer free shipping early in the search and discovery process on Google, aimed at increasing conversion. Ware2Go handles fulfillment through its partner network.

C.H. Robinson on mobile phone

C.H. Robinson and TaskRabbit Team Up for SMB Ecommerce Shippers

| Mike O'Brien

Major logistics and shipping firm C.H. Robinson has added a parcel option to its Freightquote self-shipping tool to better service small-to-medium-sized businesses, while also partnering with project crowdsourcing provider TaskRabbit to give them access to ecommerce fulfillment services. The combination is an industry first.

A Logistics Evolution in DTC is Part of the New Normal

| Don White

To succeed in this new world of retail disruption and ever-shifting customer demands, smart brands are moving to a direct model. The benefits of DTC can be substantial but require a dramatic retooling of operations, from customer service to returns management, direct merchandising, direct delivery and warehousing and logistics.

The Pandemic, the E-Fulfillment Workforce and System Needs

| Mike O'Brien

One impact of the continuing COVID-19 crisis is omnichannel fulfillment operations need to do more with less to comply with safety protocols and restrictions. This special report explores different factors behind system decisions in light of the pandemic, with a particular focus on workforce limitations and unpredictable demand.

7 Strategies to Get the Most from Your Subscription Box 3PL

| Nicole Lee

Order fulfillment can be overwhelming, particularly as your subscription box business grows and evolves. You’ve put considerable time and effort into building your business, and you want to find a fulfillment partner who can help meet your goals and give them the tools to succeed. These 7 strategies can help guide the process.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

The MFC Trend in E-Grocery: Where It Is, Where It’s Going

| Mike O'Brien

Micro fulfillment centers are all the rage in e-grocery – small, highly automated systems that use robotics to fulfill online orders in 1 to 2 minutes. Neil Stern of McMillonDoolittle talks all things MFC in this latest MCM CommerceChat podcast. He’ll also lead an MFC session at Ecommerce Operations Summit (4/14-16, Orlando).