Order Fulfillment

Fright-Rags Adapts Business Amid COVID Supply Chain Disruptions
April 24, 2020 at 5:08 pm

In episode 244 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Ben Scrivens, founder and president of Fright-Rags, a designer and producer of original and licensed horror T-shirts. Listen in as Scrivens discusses the history of the brand, Fright-Rags' business evolution during COVID-19, and how the company has dealt with an uptick in orders in recent…

The Future is Now for Online Grocery Due to COVID-19
April 20, 2020 at 7:50 pm

The grocery industry may be booming right now, but it’s also an overwhelming environment due to the dramatic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which remain to be seen. An increase in sales comes at the expense of scrambling to manage inventory, ensure sufficient staffing, follow health and safety protocols, and accommodate a surge…

How COVID-19 is Impacting Retail Fulfillment
April 8, 2020 at 1:17 pm

COVID-19 has turned the world of retail upside down. Hundreds of millions of Americans have been ordered to stay home during the pandemic, resulting in thousands of shuttered brick-and-mortar businesses and a surge in online shopping. In the face of all this uncertainty, retailers are trying to understand how COVID-19 will impact everything from maintaining…

How to Beat the Amazon FBA Shipping Restrictions
April 6, 2020 at 11:15 am

Less than two weeks ago, Amazon.com's Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) community was shaken by the online retailer's decision to restrict the kinds of inventory it’s receiving until April 5, 2020. Shipments of inventory turned away, and many FBA sellers left to fend for themselves during the COVID-19 crisis. Many sellers that still have FBA inventory…

Total Retail's 2020 Retail Technology Report: Inventory Management Software Spending on the Rise
April 2, 2020 at 4:42 pm

Retailers are most likely currently spending on technology that helps them track inventory and fulfill orders across multiple channels, especially as consumers engage with brands across a variety of touchpoints, and often in a single purchase journey. This was a key finding from Total Retail’s 2020 Retail Technology Report, which was produced in conjunction with Orckestra…

How to Make Free Shipping Profitable (Even With COVID-19), Part 7
April 1, 2020 at 11:34 am

There are hidden costs in order fulfillment that can be minimized or eliminated by streamlining your supply chain. Options such as buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) and ship-from-store are increasingly popular among merchants as lower-cost fulfillment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any cost reduction within the supply chain can ease the burden of offering…

How Stein Mart Turned BOPIS Into a Customer Engagement Channel
March 30, 2020 at 10:19 am

For many years, customer experience experts have stressed the importance of balancing the convenience of self-service and digital channels, with the loyalty-building power of human interaction. Stein Mart, a national specialty omnichannel off-price retailer offering designer and name-brand fashion apparel, home décor, accessories and shoes at everyday discount prices, aimed to harness the best of…

Amazon's Delayed Shipments Creates Opportunity for Other Online Sellers
March 27, 2020 at 2:00 pm

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Kristina Stidham and Ashley Chiaradio discuss Amazon.com's announcement that certain nonessential items will be de-prioritized and could take one month or longer to be delivered to customers. Amazon Prime members, who are used to getting their orders in two days or less, are facing a new reality as…

COVID-19 Begins to Impact Retailers' E-Commerce Operations
March 23, 2020 at 4:47 pm

Retail organizations began taking necessary steps in the last couple of weeks to protect their employees and customers from the growing spread of the coronavirus by closing their brick-and-mortar stores. Now certain retailers are taking the further step of closing their e-commerce sites as states' stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders are preventing them from fulfilling online orders. For example,…

Social Media Sales at Scale: Best Practices for Digital-First Retailers
March 13, 2020 at 3:35 pm

Consumers today have more choices than ever before when it comes to the items that curate their life, which can often rely on the latest trends or fashion statements. When it comes to keeping up with timely demands, retailers often struggle to keep their shelves stocked with the latest trending item at any given time.…