UPS city delivery

UPS Ends Freeze on COVID-Related Tier Pricing, Impacting Shippers

| Mike O'Brien

UPS has ended a freeze on earned discount tiers based on large shipping volume drops caused by COVID-19 lockdowns, with some shippers seeing cost increases in the 10% to 30% range as they suddenly dropped two or three tiers, consultants and shippers report. The freeze ended as the lockdown effects are long over.

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Geodis Acquires Freight Brokerage Firm Velocity

| Mike O'Brien

3PL Geodis has acquired Plano, TX-based freight forwarding company Velocity Transport from Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary McLane Company, to add to its forwarding capabilities across a range of modalities, including refrigerated and temperature-controlled freight, flatbed and LTL, intermodal, van and specialty options.

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ShipBob Raises $200M, Joins Growing Unicorn Club

| Mike O'Brien

ShipBob, a provider of software and services to optimize shipping for ecommerce companies, has raised $200 million in a new funding round, pushing its valuation over the $1 billion mark in a crowded unicorn field as it looks to expand globally and support customers as they add new channels.

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Prepping for 2021 Holiday Shipping – When It’s Already Perpetual Peak

| Mike O'Brien

Having experienced significant pain in Q4 2020, when millions of orders showed up late, many retailers have stepped up their preparation efforts to ensure holiday shipping 2021 isn’t a case of deja vu. In this report, industry experts and retailers discuss network and supply chain challenges, preparation efforts and mitigation strategies.

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UPS Adds New Peak Surcharge Pain for Shippers

| Mike O'Brien

Ahead of the upcoming holiday season with its expected surge beyond the “perpetual peak” we’ve been seeing since March of last year, UPS is again issuing surcharges across its services, hitting major shippers particularly hard in a tiered system based on volume.

Bringg Raises $100M to Reach $1B Valuation

| Mike O'Brien

Bringg, a provider of order orchestration software for last-mile deliveries, has raised $100 million in a series E round, bringing it into the growing unicorn club as it looks to international expansion, explores extensions into less-than-truckload and other forms of transportation and eyes acquisitions. This is 4x from a year-ago valuation.

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Post-Pandemic Shipping: Are We There Yet?

| Jarrett Streebin

How can a merchant simultaneously deal with carriers extending delivery windows and consumers wanting their goods now in the extended era of post-pandemic shipping? The key is understanding where post-pandemic shipping is headed and preparing for this inevitability proactively. Here’s what you need to know.

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Ecommerce Operations Summit Strikes the Right Notes in Music City

| Mike O'Brien

Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021 is back live, at the Gaylord Opreyland in Nashville on Aug. 17-18, and the team at Multichannel Merchant has a great event on tap to help operations and fulfillment professionals keep on top of key industry trends and address the challenges of a disruptive time. Read on for some program highlights.

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American Eagle Expands Same-Day Delivery with ShopRunner

| Mike O'Brien

American Eagle Outfitters has expanded its offering of free same-day delivery for members of partner ShopRunner to include 50 U.S. cities, up from six when the retailer started working with the FedEx acquired service in October. During the past year, American Eagle and Aerie have offered free store and curbside pickup.

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USPS Postmaster DeJoy Facing FBI Investigation

| Mike O'Brien

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into past political fundraising efforts of Louis DeJoy, the embattled Postmaster General of the U.S. Postal Service, raising the volume of Democratic calls for his ouster even as he works to enact major postal reforms.