Articles
Retail
How E-Commerce Is Changing Retail; Ways to Optimize Fulfillment
Q: With the pandemic causing a huge surge in e-commerce demand, how has this peak season compared to those in the past? How has Hub Group positioned itself to deliver? A: We’ve seen a surge in e-commerce this year—both from an industry and from a company point of view. In 2019, we saw around 5% […]
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Retail Optimization Through a Revamped Network
With its customer base and volumes surging, a CPG company turned to Hub Group for a dynamic solution that streamlined its handling process, increased service levels, and reduced chargebacks.
Read MoreStord Closes $65 Million Funding Round, Expanding Its Cloud Supply Chain
Stord, a cloud supply chain services provider for retail and e-commerce brands, raised a $65 million Series C round led by venture capital firm Bond, bringing its total capital raised in the past six months to $100 million.
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Walmart Goes Local
Walmart plans to increase the number of local fulfillment centers across the United States, which it will build inside or near existing retail locations. This localized approach mirrors Amazon’s strategy, as both companies face off amid surging demand for online orders. Walmart opened its first fulfillment center in 2019 in New Hampshire when the retail […]
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Omnichannel Delivers, But at What Cost?
Amazon, the most successful e-commerce company of all, gained a competitive advantage through its two-day free delivery for Prime customers. Many other pure e-tailers and brick-and-mortar retailers moving to omnichannel retail—where customers engage with companies in a variety of ways, including in a physical store, or via websites and mobile apps—have followed suit to some degree.
Read MoreNeiman Marcus Splurges on Digitization
Luxury department store Neiman Marcus is banking on a digital future, investing $85 million to make immediate changes to its supply chain and technology operations after erasing more than $4 billion in debt with a successful bankruptcy. To help improve its digital customer service, the retailer hired Apple veteran Bob Kupbens as its new chief […]
Read MoreOvercoming the Returns Challenge
The world of e-commerce shows no sign of slowing down. As parcel volumes soar and businesses strive to meet customer delivery expectations, returns services can, and have been, easily overlooked. Considering that in some sectors, such as fashion, returns can be as high as 45% and in the United States, customers are 3x more likely […]
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4 New Rules for Retail
While the grocery and home improvement sectors benefited from changes in consumer behavior during the pandemic, apparel and department stores struggled. Consequently, the following new rules will come into play for retailers in 2021, says a Deloitte report: 1. Digital investment should go beyond differentiation. Many retailers have jumped on the digital bandwagon (see chart), […]
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Cross Dock Delivers New Level of Efficiency for Leading Retailer
Leveraging its network of cross dock locations, Hub Group optimized a top retailer’s supply chain, reducing its transportation spend, streamlining inbound operations, and shortening transit times.
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Vertical Focus: Personal Care Products & Cosmetics
What’s In Store? In-store shopping accounted for up to 85% of beauty product sales in most major markets before the pandemic, finds a McKinsey report—even millennials and Gen Zers made almost 60% of their cosmetics purchases in stores (see chart). What will happen to physical beauty product stores in the future? About 30% of premium […]
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