Articles
Retail
E-Commerce Innovation: Leaders of the Pack
E-commerce brands looking to protect merchandise and reduce their carbon footprint are exploring surprising new packaging materials, designs, uses, and re-uses.
Read More2021 Summer Reading Guide
When it’s time to absorb your next audiobook or crack open a book this summer, take a dip into this collection of fresh research, actionable advice, and best practices to refresh your supply chain knowledge.
Read MoreReducing Customer Costs Through Strategic Inventory Movements
The supply chain presents a considerable, albeit unavoidable, cost to companies. Efficient operations with a proactive logistics partner are vital in allowing companies to maintain a balance between this expense and the final cost of product.
Read MoreFrom Robots to Running Shoes
With homebound consumers buying new shoes and gear like never before, DHL Supply Chain and Locus Robotics helped Brooks Running race to meet consumer demand and prepare for future growth.
Read MorePool Distribution Increases the Speed to Market for Fast-Fashion Giant
A major fast-fashion retailer got a leg up when SEKO Logistics streamlined workflows with a 24/7 performance portal to manage metrics, outside market conditions, and costs.
Read MoreSmart Clothes Hit the Rack
Will warehouse workers suit up in electronic clothing? Possibly. MIT researchers released a line of smart clothes that can track physical movement, and Fudan University researchers in China unveiled state-of-the-art electronic textiles that can produce visual displays. This is all happening as wearable devices continue to streamline supply chain operations and provide critical feedback in […]
Read MoreDesigners Cultivate Plant-Based Leather
Fashion designers branch out to plant-based textiles in response to growing demand for sustainable and cruelty-free products, and as supply chains seek to lower their carbon footprint. These leather alternatives are heating up: Cactus: Fast fashion company H&M is partnering with Mexico-based Desserto to create a new collection, including shoes made from cactus leather. Desserto […]
Read More5 Ways to Position Your Supply Chain for Retail Compliance Success
These five actions will help you meet retailers’ expectations and standards, from packaging and appointment scheduling to advanced ship notifications.
Read MoreTarget Practices Faster Fulfillment
Instead of using carriers to ship all its online orders, Target is building its own team of dedicated delivery personnel to get packages to customers’ doors even faster, helping the retailer compete with its e-commerce rivals, says a CNBC report. The new approach involves three companies that Target acquired: Grand Junction, Deliv, and Shipt. Target […]
Read MoreAmazon Delivery Drivers, Assemble!
Amazon shoppers may soon have the option to have their orders assembled upon arrival, says a Bloomberg report. The e-commerce giant is testing the premium service as online furniture and housewares sales continue to soar and shoppers get more comfortable making big-ticket purchases online. Amazon currently offers scheduled at-home delivery to a particular room, but […]
Read MoreVertical Focus | Textiles
Dawn of the Deadstock To address pandemic-induced material shortages, economic volatility, and environmental concerns, many retailers are working to make their supply chains circular. These initiatives help the cause by reviving deadstock material—unused fabric that fashion brands typically store or destroy. Here’s how some retailers are bringing their deadstock to life: Queen of Raw: This […]
Read MoreFulfillment and Logistics Drive Retail Customer Loyalty
While the majority of retailers experienced fulfillment disruptions this past holiday season, retailers that provided alternative ways for customers to get their gifts on time, and later, return items with ease, stood out as innovative and reliable. Moving forward, fulfillment and logistics will increasingly become the battleground for customer loyalty even as business conditions normalize. […]
Read MoreHow 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% […]
Read MoreRetail 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.
Read MoreWalmart 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 […]
Read MoreOmnichannel 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 […]
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