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4 Ways Ecommerce Operations Summit Brings Practical DTC Solutions

| Brian Barry

Where do you go to learn what solutions and strategies others in ecommerce and omnichannel have successfully implemented? Ecommerce Operations Summit 2019, April 9-11 in Columbus, OH, is totally geared to all things DTC. It’s the perfect venue to validate your approach, save on costs and improve the customer experience.

How Ecommerce Operations Summit 2019 Can Improve Your DTC Business

| Brian Barry

Given the rapid pace of change, how forward looking are your operations and fulfillment strategies, and are you pursuing the right ones? Ecommerce Operations Summit (April 9-11, Columbus), is an excellent way to evaluate emerging trends. Here are some highlights we found in the conference agenda, and why they’re beneficial.

Vacant Retail Locations Being Repurposed for Ecommerce Fulfillment

| Mike O'Brien

In an indicator of the continuing evolution of retail, more shuttered stores and malls are being converted to industrial space, especially for ecommerce fulfillment, according to a new report from commercial real estate firm CBRE. See where this is happening, what the drivers are and the prevailing local headwinds.

How To Get More Productivity from Your Ecommerce Operations

| Brian Barry

When you’re not diligent in planning workloads, measuring productivity and publishing results to employees, work will expand to fill the time available for its completion. If this describes your ecommerce operations, here are ways you can experiment with measuring and improving productivity, while increasing efficiency.

16 Fulfillment Metrics Every Ecommerce Company Should Monitor

| Brian Barry

To improve operations, you first need to measure key fulfillment metrics. Understanding them lets you develop options for processes that reduce steps and cost, or improve service levels such as order turnaround time. Here are 16 metrics we recommend you use as a starting point.

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10 Ways to Analyze Your Peak Season Fulfillment

| Brian Barry

If you haven’t formally evaluated your peak season fulfillment, make this the year you do so. From your analysis of ecommerce operations successes and failures, you can develop a plan to make improvements using a multi-faceted approach. Here are 10 ways to analyze your performance and develop a plan for improvement.

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DHL Investing $300M in Warehouse Robotics, Automation

| Mike O'Brien

Deutsche Post unit DHL Supply Chain North America is investing $300 million to increase the level of automation and robotics at 350 of its 430 facilities, to better handle the crush of ecommerce orders. DHL also plans to open a 24,000-square-foot innovation center near Chicago in September 2019.

Improving the Last Mile with Process, Technology

| Don White

While you have little control over an order once it’s out for delivery, your operations team is still a crucial cog in the last mile experience. You need the right processes and technology to get products to the customer as efficiently and accurately as possible for a smoother delivery and a better experience.

Amazon Research Project Reportedly Testing Robotic Picking Arms

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is reportedly experimenting with robotic arms that can visually identify items on a conveyor, pick them up using a compressed air vacuum gripper and place them on a table or shelf. At the same time the company says publicly the state of the art isn’t there yet to handle the wide variety of products it stores and sells.