Articles
E-commerce
Manage Supply and Demand Swings with a Digital Logistics Platform
Q. Capacity constraints, labor shortages, rising shipping costs, and growing shipping volumes are making it difficult to find carriers to cover freight. How can shippers, logistics providers, and carriers become more efficient amidst fluctuating market conditions? A. A digital logistics platform with intelligence AND execution capabilities from a proven partner drives efficient collaboration between shippers, […]
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E-commerce Growth: Slower but Hefty
Even as growth slowed from 2020’s pandemic-fueled explosion in activity, the global e-commerce market still grew a robust 19.9% in 2021, according to Transport Intelligence (Ti). Indications are growth will slow but remain hefty. Ti’s market sizing and forecast data and analysis shows a projected annual growth rate of 11.8% in the global e-commerce logistics […]
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Solving the E-Commerce Equation
As labor constraints and capacity challenges persist, e-commerce complications multiply. Eureka! These logistics providers have it all figured out.
Read MoreIN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions
Services Gebruder Weiss opened a 65,900-square-foot warehouse in Conyers, Georgia. The new facility provides businesses with storage, pick and pack, retailer compliance capabilities, e-commerce solutions, and value-added services such as kitting. Companies will have rail-served distribution warehouse space in Q4 2022 with a new 393,680-square-foot warehouse located in Bloomingdale, Georgia, just off Exit 148 on […]
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Knock, Knock! SMBs Deliver the Final Mile
SMB manufacturers and retailers are killing it in the middle and final miles.
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Vertical Focus: Luxury Goods
Shedding Animal Materials Fur Good Dolce & Gabbana joins several other luxury fashion brands in banning fur from all future collections starting in 2022. It will continue to work with fur artisans in its supply chain to incorporate into its designs sustainable faux fur made from recycled materials, the fashion house says. The company has […]
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Direct-to-Consumer Gets Trendy
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce has changed the way people shop for everything from razors to sofas, to the point where retailers with more traditional supply chains are catching on. New e-commerce brands and traditional retailers alike can follow these five DTC trends in 2022 to stay competitive, says a Forbes report: 1. Traditional retailers go DTC. […]
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18 Quick Tips For 2022
Looks like 2022 will be fraught with many of the same challenges as last year. But IL has your back. We collected 18 tips from our audience—the leaders in logistics—to help you navigate with certainty.
Read MoreToughest Job in the C-Suite
Although executives who dream up new products, market expansions, or patents typically get all the praise, the pandemic and its disruptions have made getting items to shoppers a more complex and crucial task, says a Fortune report. The fluctuating demand for consumer goods and ships idling in major West Coast ports have only added to […]
Read MoreMichael Shaughnessy: Honed for the Holidays
Michael Shaughnessy is senior vice president, supply chain, operations, and emerging markets, with Balsam Brands, which designs and offers home decor, including under its flagship brand, Balsam Hill.
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Shippers Stock Up
As the pandemic continues to impact supply chains, retailers go shopping for third-party logistics providers to gain end-to-end control.
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Finding a Home for Holiday Returns
Record retail sales, including a growing share of online purchases (see chart), mean that more returns than ever are flooding warehouses. U.S. holiday retail sales were up 8.5% compared to 2020, says data from Mastercard, and 66% of consumers will likely return at least one gift. At 18%, the e-commerce return rate is almost twice […]
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NOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief
Green Seeds Container shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, one decade earlier than previously announced, as shipper demand for green transportation rises. The target now covers not only the company’s vessels, but its entire business, including indirect emissions. A.P. Moller-Maersk has ordered 12 vessels that run on carbon-neutral methanol […]
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Is There an End to Amazon’s Impact?
The absorption of industrial real estate is setting all-time highs as consumer demand, with COVID-19 as its catalyst, has shifted to a greater dependency on consumers having products shipped to them rather than them visiting brick-and-mortar retailers.
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Bright Ideas: 3PLs Manage Growth Through Innovation
By thinking creatively and embracing new solutions, third-party logistics providers support shippers through demand surges, labor shortages, cost increases, and capacity constraints.
Read MoreIN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions
Services RK Logistics Group, a provider of warehousing, e-commerce fulfillment, and supply chain management services, opened a new facility in Hayward, California. The facility provides warehousing, product staging, and distribution services for Silicon Valley manufacturers, suppliers, and retail e-commerce shippers. BioCare, a therapeutics distributor, launched LogiCare3PL, a third-party logistics (3PL) offering that provides specialty pharmaceutical […]
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4 Tips to Master Reverse Logistics
Up to 40% of online purchases made in the past year were returned, finds recent research. Whether you’re diving into e-commerce for the first time or finding your footing after the accelerated industry growth amid the pandemic, mastering reverse logistics is an essential function of your operation, now more than ever.
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Last Mile Predictions and Priorities
Since COVID-19 shut down the world, the delivery industry as a whole experienced exponential growth. The rise of e-commerce platforms stretched last-mile delivery to its limits. The pandemic forced more people to consider delivery services and now consumers love the convenience. This preference for delivery over in-person shopping will continue into the future even after the pandemic.
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How to Combat Logistics Logjams
Nearly two years into the pandemic, today’s congestion issues and logistics logjams are not expected to end anytime soon. It is imperative brands fortify their supply chains to best navigate the current environment and prepare for what unexpected challenges may lie ahead to limit future disruptions.
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Strengthening Omnichannel Capability to Address Fundamental Shifts in Consumer Behavior
Q. What have the past few years revealed about consumer trends? A. With the rise of e-commerce came the demand for next-day or same-day shipping with a catch—no added cost. Consumers crave the instant gratification they would have experienced from going to the store, without leaving their house, and as large online retailers began offering […]
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