Articles
Retail Logistics
Reaching a Point of No Returns
Online shoppers can no longer take free returns for granted. The number of UK and European retailers offering customers free returns in at least one international market dropped from 55 percent in the first quarter of 2017 to just 28 percent in the latest benchmark report from research firm ReBOUND. Most brands are still not […]
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Engaging Customers Through AI
Retailers will rely heavily on technologies such as live chat, Facebook Messenger, and Amazon Alexa for customer service, according to a new research study from Linc and Brand Garage. How AI Technology Will Transform Customer Engagement highlights the overwhelming emphasis retail executives are placing on automated platforms to improve customer communication, with 87 percent of […]
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Best Practices for the Gift of Successful Holiday Sales
For some retailers, holiday sales can represent up to 27.4 percent of annual sales, and in 2017, overall retail holiday sales are expected to increase from 2016. Debra Glassburn, Partner, Columbus Consulting, offers these tips to help retailers make the most of the 2017 holiday season and leverage every sales opportunity. Understand historical trends. Having […]
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E-Commerce Commentary: Three Ways Shippers Can Improve Customer Satisfaction
The Amazon Effect continues to weigh heavily (pun intended) upon the supply chain. Consumers expect to receive packages at their homes within a few days—or within a day—of placing an order, and the demand for lightning-quick fulfillment coupled with the myriad of small-order additions has led to a complex operating environment for supply chain leaders. […]
Read MoreThird-Party Refurbishers Help Get
First-Quality Goods to Market
Ideally, every step of your supply chain runs like clockwork, without interruption. You want to keep operations, transportation, and distribution ticking along precisely. A significant interruption can deliver a serious blow to the timeline—and the bottom line. But life happens… An overseas shipment of suits gets soaked with saltwater, plunging the distribution center into a […]
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Supply Chain Be Nimble,
Supply Chain Be Quick
To deliver a seamless and positive customer experience, retailers must adopt an omnichannel mindset and ensure supply networks are nimble enough to quickly respond to consumer demand, regardless of where or how shoppers interact with their brands. Omnichannel retail is synonymous with speed—shorter product lifecycle, quicker turnaround on promotion, and faster delivery expected by customers. […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Commentary: Prepare for Mobile Commerce
E-commerce, m-commerce, and now app-commerce. Mobile commerce is expected to become a $250-billion market by 2020, with an increasing number of sales being done via smartphone apps. According to the 2017 UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper, shoppers make 25 percent of online purchases with apps, a number expected to spike quickly in coming years. […]
Read MoreWhat Retail Apocalypse?
Retailers Open 4,000+ Stores in 2017
U.S. retailers are opening 4,080 more stores in 2017 than they are closing and plan to open more than 5,500 more in 2018, according to a new report from research and advisory firm IHL Group. The report, Debunking the Retail Apocalypse, was released on August 30, 2017. The research reviewed more than 1,800 retail chains […]
Read MoreAmazon Closes Whole Foods Acquisition: 3 Experts Weigh In
Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market closes today August 28, 2017, and the deal’s impact will be felt immediately. Whole Foods Market will offer lower prices starting today on a selection of best-selling grocery staples across its stores, with more to come. In addition, Amazon and Whole Foods Market technology teams will begin to integrate […]
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Recent Industry Disruptions Challenge, Improve Retail Logistics and Supply Chain – WSI
American consumers are now living in an era of supply chain domination, in which we sometimes sacrifice privacy for convenience, or a few extra dollars for speed. Amazon drones drop small packages on our doorstep the same day. Meals arrive on urban doorsteps via tiny robots moments after placing the order. Naturally, the retail industry […]
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Developing Innovative Delivery Services That Delight Customers
To compete in today’s retail landscape, companies must differentiate themselves to meet consumer demands and drive brand loyalty. Many retailers are reassessing every aspect of their supply chains—including their delivery services—and implementing digital processes to ensure superior consumer experiences. Many consumers are willing to pay more for a better shopping experience. In recent years, retailers […]
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Solved: Satellite DC Quickly Fulfills Orders – Unyson
Unyson helped a customer simultaneously increase service for time-sensitive shipments while decreasing costs.
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The Perfect Amount of Packaging
Sustainable packaging helps shippers’ bottom line and brand as well as being easier on the environment.
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U.S. Online Shoppers Click With International Retailers
Nearly half of avid U.S. online shoppers bought items from international retailers, demonstrating the need for retailers to offer more personalized services as a way to compete against lower prices, according to UPS’ sixth annual Pulse of the Online Shopper study. Almost all avid U.S. online shoppers (97 percent), made purchases on marketplaces, up 12 […]
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Retailers Struggle to Control Fulfillment Costs
Walmart’s recent announcement that it is testing a delivery system where its associates will deliver online orders to customers’ doors makes sense in light of a new study by Radial, in partnership with EKN Research, which finds the average cost for a company to fulfill an order is 70 percent of the average order value. […]
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Amazon Files Patent To Parachute Packages
Amazon teased consumers with drone delivery during a 2017 Super Bowl commercial, though the ad bore a disclaimer: "Prime Air is not available in some states (or any really). Yet." Back in December 2016, Amazon made its first successful customer delivery in a trial area in the United Kingdom; in March 2017, the online retail […]
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How Walmart’s OTIF Policy Creates New Baselines for Suppliers
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. caught many shipping companies off guard when it released its new “On-Time In-Full” (OTIF) policy. This program mandates that if any shipment arrives early, late, or on-time but not packaged properly, the shipper will be charged 3 percent of the total items’ value. It was only a few months ago that Walmart […]
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Supply Chain Commentary: Customer Loyalty Hinges on Quality of Product Information
Knowledge is power, and today, consumers are demanding to know more about products they buy before making a purchasing decision. The internet and online shopping have helped fuel their appetites for more product details, driving big changes across all industries. In the food industry, for example, new legislation like the GMO labeling law and Nutrition […]
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Supply Chain Commentary: Get Ready for a Shortened Path to Purchase
Google quietly introduced the beta version of Purchases on Google in the middle of May 2017 to users in the United States. The feature allows users to click a ‘Buy on Google’ call-to-action on product ads within the search engine results page and directs them to a purchasing page created and hosted by Google. Right […]
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Consumers: No Patience For Supply Chain Fails
Seventy-eight percent of consumers want to receive updates on the status of their orders when purchasing goods, and they won’t hesitate to switch brands if supply chain performance fails to meet their expectations, according to a global survey conducted by YouGov and sponsored by Infor, a provider of industry-specific cloud applications. The survey polled 6,285 […]
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