Parcel consolidation and ecommerce firm Pitney Bowes has come with an innovative device that combines a label printer and scale. SMB shippers can process orders from Amazon, eBay and Shopify from their phones using companion software, compare discounted shipping rates, print labels and First Class stamps and track packages.
After making a lot of noise this year with a list of grievances including poor management practices and bad peak season forecasting leading to the brink of insolvency for many, an association of FedEx Ground contractors has disbanded, taking a shot at the founder on the way out the door.
A hedge fund which made millions with its stake in GameStop before the struggling retailer became a Reddit-fueled stock phenomenon has invested in Pitney Bowes, believing its assets are undervalued, and suggesting its ecommerce unit could be sold. Hestia Capital may put forward a former Stamps.com executive as a director.
Realizing the demand from both its merchant clients and their end customers to address the heavy carbon emissions associated with ecommerce deliveries, especially around peak holiday season, platform provider ShippingEasy is offering a carbon offset program through Jan. 12, 2023.
How do you create a positive delivery experience that offers consumers the choice they crave, translating your last mile delivery process into repeat purchases and brand loyalty? Retailers in the know are focusing on delivery segmentation to differentiate themselves, crafting customer delivery personas to inform their last mile deliveries.
The U.S. Postal Service reported a revenue gain for the year but an income loss, while parcel volume continued to drop relative to the 2021 pandemic surge, as the USPS like other shippers has experienced a slowdown in ecommerce-related business due to challenging economic conditions.
Companion bills in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate aim to amend the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, removing the overtime exemption for truckers. Predictably, it’s opposed by shippers and rail carriers, and supported by unions, trucking associations and safety groups. A spokesman for a major auto carrier explains why he supports it.
UPS posted strong Q3 financial results, falling a bit short on revenue vs. the analyst consensus but beating on earnings, as the company was lauded for successfully making network adjustments to falling volumes, unlike rival FedEx’s report about a month ago. The brown carrier also expects peak season volume to be lighter than 2021.
Days before its third quarter earnings report, UPS matched rival FedEx by announcing a general rate increase of 6.9% for 2023, an unprecedented figure for both major carriers set as a benchmark for pricing shipper contract rates. FedEx took heat last month in announcing its rate increase last month, as it reported a painful quarter.
Instacart and the attorney’s office for the city of San Diego have reached a settlement over charges it misclassified its delivery drivers as contractors, a heated and ongoing issue in California and elsewhere that challenges the economics of last-mile delivery companies using the pervasive gig model.