There’s a little bit of everything on tap at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2020, to be held April 14-16 in wonderful Orlando, FL. From keynotes by executives at Neiman Marcus and REI to new e-grocery and robotics tracks, preconference workshops and lots of great networking, it’s a not-to-be-missed event for industry pros.
FedEx announced its annual general rate increase (GRI) for 2020. Effective Jan. 6, FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery will increase an average of 4.9%, while FedEx Freight will increase rates by an average of 5.9%. How will this affect individual shippers? Here’s a breakdown of the areas likely to have the greatest impact.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a new measure that will require many companies using independent contractors to hire them as employees and provide benefits, dramatically changing the economics of the gig economy in ecommerce delivery. Deliv got ahead of the law in June by hiring its California workers.
Small merchants can transform their shipping and mailing operations into an asset rather than a nuisance and cost center. A focus on quick wins that add up over time can fatten your profit margins while delivering increasingly better customer experiences. Learn how refining your strategy can lead to business improvement.
With a showdown looming over international postal rates at a Sept. 24 congress of the Universal Postal Union, uncertainty reigns in terms of the United States’ continued participation in the organization, leaving merchants wondering about parcel shipping rates heading into peak season. Consolidators are making contingency plans.
More than 6% of 508,000 FedEx and UPS parcels shipped by 100 small-to-medium-sized retailers between January and March 2019 were delayed, nearly 72% of them by a full day, according to a report from LateShipment.com. The numbers were worse for 3PLs: 7.6% of their UPS and FedEx parcel shipments arrived late.
Residents of a North Carolina town will be able to get meals delivered by drone as part of a limited test program sanctioned by the Federal Aviation Administration, as it takes baby steps toward broader approval of drone operations. Israeli drone service firm Flytrex is hoping the test program will expand to all kinds of deliveries, even to backyards.
UPS will not add a residential delivery surcharge this holiday peak season, unlike the past two years, but will add surcharges for larger packages and those requiring additional handling. The company expects to exceed record volume of 800 million packages set last year, with 75% of it handled by automated sortation systems.
The use of automated lockers for ecommerce deliveries is moving beyond BOPIS applications, with adoption growing in apartment buildings, public transportation areas and even mobile tests. To that end, a shared locker pilot program by the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab and Seattle DOT will be expanding next year.
The U.S. Postal Service reported a drop in its parcel volume for the first time in nine years during its third quarter, as major customers like Amazon continue to shift business away from the USPS and take on some of the deliveries themselves. However parcel revenue was up thanks to rate increases and a DIM adjustment this year.