9 Tips to Manage Ecommerce Fulfillment Labor More Effectively

| Brian Barry

Overall productivity in ecommerce fulfillment centers has remained flat over the years for many companies, and hourly wages continue to rise. After factoring in that cost, productivity in terms of labor dollars has declined. To help you become more efficient, here are 10 ways to improve your productivity levels.

8 Supply Chain Strategies to Improve Your Ecommerce Business

| Brian Barry

Many ecommerce fulfillment centers spend much of their time implementing reactive tactics without ever thinking through the strategy of what they’re trying to achieve. Often the terms “tactics” and “strategy” are incorrectly used interchangeably. Here are 8 supply chain strategies to help you improve your ecommerce operations.

ecommerce fulfillment center feature

Improving Your Ecommerce Fulfillment Center Operations

| Brian Barry

To determine if your ecommerce fulfillment center is running as efficiently as possible, start with an operations audit or assessment, taking into account quantitative and qualitative aspects of all processes and systems. Here are 11 ways to reduce costs, make your operations run smoother and improve the customer experience.

7 Ways to Make Your Ecommerce Packing, Shipping More Efficient

| Brian Barry

As you consider your packing supply requirements, you need to look beyond just buying boxes and dunnage. The larger issues of dimensional weight, increased labor costs, brand perception and environmental impact are important, too. These 7 recommendations will help as you review your packing and shipping processes.

11 Key Indicators to Help Keep 3PL Service High

| Brian Barry

When problems with your 3PL partner are severe, the first course of action is to resolve the issues before deciding to leave. Watch these 11 key indicators to ensure your 3PL is performing up to the level expected in your agreement with them.

key performance indicators, KPIs, operations and fulfillment, warehouse/distribution Center, distribution center, direct-to-consumer, direct-to-consumer operations, performance metrics, employee productivity, employee coaching, manager training

The Benefits and Challenges of a Homegrown WMS

| Mike O'Brien

In the never-ending decision over build vs. buy when it comes to software applications, a growing group of pure-play ecommerce providers is opting to develop their own homegrown warehouse management system (WMS), opting for the flexibility on upgrades and functionality over the comfort of relying on a vendor.

Skechers Plans Upgrade to Belgium Distribution Center

| Erin Lynch

U.S. based footwear merchant Skechers announced that it is planning a major investment and technology upgrade to its European distribution center in Belgium. These investments will improve performance and prepare the facility for a future expansion.

Quiet Logistics’ Robots at Work

| Erin Lynch

Wired has posted a new video introducing the ecommerce world to a few members of the robotic workforce at the Quiet Logistics order fulfillment center in Devens, Mass. According to the video, the robots, which have names such as Peanut Botter, Botter Rum, Juke Bot, Bot-B-Q, and Walter CaBot IV, require a five minute recharge every hour and have a 99.94% accuracy rate.

Send them packing

| W. Eric Martin

Packing is a simple task requiring little or no thought: You pack the goods, seal the box, and send it to the shipping department. Right? Not quite. This