Articles

E-commerce

Vertical Focus Retail-Oct

Vertical Focus Retail-Oct

Weaving Blockchain into Data Sharing Blockchain can solve the errors and inefficiencies that exist in data exchange between suppliers, retailers, and other stakeholders in the retail supply chain, according to results from the Chain Integration Project proof of concept. If retailers want to incorporate blockchain into their supply chain, the study recommends these steps: 1. […]

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3PLs Play Pivotal Role

Order volumes increased by 81% for third-party logistics (3PL) providers supporting e-commerce since the lockdown began, according to data from 3PL Central‘s customer base. These are the highest order volumes per 3PL ever, on par with Black Friday in 2019. 3PL warehouses fulfilling e-commerce orders experienced a consistent increase in order volume week over week. […]

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Getting Out of the Woods

Getting Out of the Woods

COVID-19 radically changed the workplace and how supply chains operate. Shippers that scale their technical infrastructure and put the customer first will thrive, says a study by Reuters Events and CalAmp. Other key findings include: Preparedness: Shippers say their logistics solution providers are managing the uncertainty of customer demand, scoring them an average of 72/100. […]

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Retail Responds

Retail Responds

Retailers faced steep fluctuations in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many have been forced to close or adapt to accommodate social distancing. To improve their supply chain resilience for future disruption, retailers must invest in flexibility, visibility, and automation, according to a study by WMG, the University of Warwick, and Blue Yonder. Key findings […]

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Postal Operators Deliver on E-Commerce

Postal Operators Deliver on E-Commerce

Parcels and cross-border e-commerce take precedence over traditional services, such as mail, for postal operators, according to Escher’s Future of Posts 2020 report. Operators also say they need to continuously manage growing postal e-commerce traffic, with a greater emphasis on the last mile and supporting retailers. The survey results also indicate: Postal networks adapted during […]

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Cold Storage Heats Up

Cold Storage Heats Up

Booming e-commerce and online grocery sales during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the demand for cold storage warehousing space in North America, but developers are not building fast enough to meet demand, says a new report from commercial real estate services firm Savills. Keeping up with demand: Developers are not building fast enough to meet demand, […]

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Paul A. Myerson

Traditional Retail Supply Chains Tackle Omni Challenges

Distribution centers (DCs) traditionally shipped orders in bulk to retailers or wholesalers. In the early days of e-commerce, most retailers used a small area in an existing DC to fulfill online orders or outsourced the process to a third party. As online demand grew, many retailers opened fulfillment centers dedicated to picking and packing individual orders shipped to individual end users. DCs and fulfillment centers have much different types of operations and cost structures.

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Vertical Focus: Home Goods

Vertical Focus: Home Goods

Furniture Polish During March 2020, online browsing for furniture increased by more than 200% as illustrated by a 242% increase in online browsing for desks, a 260% increase for outdoor furniture, and a 205% increase for home decor, finds a new V12 survey on how consumer shopping behavior is changing in response to the COVID-19 […]

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How Small to Mid-Sized Businesses Can Recover Faster

In addition to surging e-commerce demand, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are facing increased shipping costs, logistical challenges from decreased plane traffic and closed borders, and extended shipping times. Many SMBs have struggled to rapidly adapt their shipping operations to fit this new landscape. Here are a few things you can do to recover from […]

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