Articles
E-commerce
How Will the Future Unfold?
As the coronavirus continues to disrupt global supply chains, Gartner developed three scenarios to help chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) prepare for recovery and make preemptive decisions to set up their organizations for success. Gartner polled 833 IT and IT/business professionals and found that 84% of organizations are facing varying forms of disruption—from slight disruptions […]
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How Returns Impact the Warehouse and What You Can Do About It
Returns have always been a challenge, but distributors today are experiencing a surge in returned items and orders. The cost of return deliveries in the United States will increase to $550 billion in 2020, according to Statista. That’s up from $314 billion just four years ago.
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The Importance of Inventory Accuracy After COVID-19
Once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and doors reopen, apparel and footwear retailers say their main concern is inventory accuracy—even over improving online order fulfillment and managing returns, according to a survey by SML RFID, an enterprise software solutions provider. Retailers have more inventory than ever throughout their supply chains, and with staff being furloughed and […]
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Sorting Out E-Commerce Priorities
E-commerce capabilities and technology have been vital to shippers’ success during the pandemic, finds a report from Kenco. Of the supply chain professionals responding to the survey, 90% say visibility technology is a “priority.” Other highlights from the report reveal: 24% of respondents say e-commerce is extremely important and their top priority, and 41% say […]
Read MoreRetailers: It’s Time to Act
While 43% of retailers say they’re taking aggressive action to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, 38% are taking only some action, and 19% are taking a wait-and-see approach, according to Digital Commerce 360. Retailers need to take significant action, however, to address the following five issues, says the research company: 1. Consumer confidence: 97% of […]
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We Must Learn to Mitigate Supply Chain Disruption from Disasters
While the coronavirus pandemic put supply chain weaknesses on display, it has also shined a light on where we need to strengthen our capabilities to mitigate future disruptions.
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Vertical Focus: Pet Industry
“Nearly 85 million U.S. households today have at least one pet, up from 73 million in 2010.”
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Creating Differentiation Through Innovative E-Commerce Fulfillment
When shippers work with a 3PL that is consistently investing in technology and new distribution centers, they can increase service consistency and offer their customers unexpectedly fast fulfillment.
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Staying Productive in Unproductive Times
While driving around my neighborhood, I’ve noticed a lot more people putting items out to the curb. Have you noticed this? I wondered about that for a moment and then realized what was happening. People are using the virus downtime to organize, clean, and take up projects long postponed. The result is an uptick in […]
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Agility On Demand
An instantaneous experience. It’s what consumers expect and the environment online retailers face. When consumers are captured by a product they must have, online retailers have only a few swipes and a few minutes until their brand’s reputation is on the clock.
Read MoreLabeling Is Key in Keeping Up with Today’s Supply Chain
COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for supply chain and logistics management. Products like canned food, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies have seen a significant rise in demand, while the demand for oil and refined products has slowed down. At the same time, e-commerce is booming, and some companies are struggling to meet the demand. Multiple […]
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3PLs Flex Their Tech Muscle
By increasing visibility, flexibility, and accuracy, the latest technology pumps up 3PLs’ ability to move, store, and fulfill shippers’ orders—even amidst supply chain disruptions.
Read MoreAmazon Shoppers Won’t Abandon Ship
Many U.S. consumers have negative feelings toward Amazon’s impact on the retail industry and the environment, according to a recent consumer survey by Convey. The negative sentiment, however, doesn’t translate to lost sales. The key to Amazon’s success is its industry-disrupting shipping. Major findings include: 25% of Americans have negative feelings about Amazon’s impact on […]
Read More5 Operational Actions Shippers Can Take to Build Resilience
As the COVID-19 crisis and focus spreads, specifically in the United States—leading the world in reported confirmed cases north of 124,000 as of March 29, 2020—businesses and supply chains continue to come under increased pressure and are put to the test on a daily basis. As shippers apply current lessons learned from the pandemic to […]
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Flexing Muscle on China Trade Compliance
The Trump administration is using a novel approach—e-commerce shipment enforcement—to ensure that China complies with Phase 1 of the U.S.-China trade deal signed in January 2020. Trade compliance intersects with billions of dollars of e-commerce shipments in Operation Mega Flex, which the Department of Homeland Security outlined in late February 2020. Mega Flex targets what […]
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E-Commerce Engine Technology Revs Up Efficiency
E-commerce has remapped supply chains. Across both business-to-business and business-to-consumer transactions, technology is taking on the complexity caused by this shift and driving efficiency.
Read MoreSupply Chain Labeling and Logistics: How to Deal with Customer and Regulatory Requirements
When it comes to logistics, the speed and convenience of e-commerce has led to changing expectations in the business-to-consumer sector. Many leading third-party logistics (3PL) groups say their customers expect the same level of speed and convenience that they’d get from an e-commerce platform. Customers want the ability to see their cargo in near-real time […]
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The Need for Speed: Overcoming the Final Hurdles to Faster E-Commerce Deliveries
Retailers need to address new challenges, from bolstering distribution networks to managing complexity, to continue to expand their e-commerce operations.
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True Next Day—Why It Matters
As retailers compete for the perfect delivery experience and consumers continue to pay premiums for speed and reliability, last mile delivery drives growth and profitability.
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Warehouse 2020
From materials handling workhorses to voice-activated picking systems and DC reconfigurations, let’s take stock of the warehouse solutions powering e-commerce success.
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