Order Fulfillment

Timberland announced that it will implement an automated order fulfillment and distribution operation from Kiva systems, a developer of mobile-robotic solutions, to automate all wholesale, retail and direct-to-consumer fulfillment activities in its new European Distribution Center which is under construction in Almelo, the Netherlands.

Amazon.com is offering to bring thousands of jobs to California as it tries to back away from confrontation over the state's new internet sales tax law. The online retailing giant proposed opening six distribution centers that would employ a total of 7,000 Californians, according to sources with knowledge of the offer.

Amazon.com said that it's adding hundreds of jobs to a central Pennsylvania distribution center. The company said it would add an unspecified number of full-time jobs at the warehouse in Carlisle. Amazon officials say hourly jobs in packing and shipping will be available, along with management positions.

State officials in Tennessee are raising questions whether Amazon.com should start collecting sales taxes from state customers. The company is building three distribution centers in the state and some legislators believe Amazon should begin collecting sales taxes there.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports will remain below last year’s levels for the remainder of the summer before seeing year-over-year gains again this fall as retailers begin to stock up for the holiday season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

While the order fulfillment department of your cross-channel retail business isn’t the sexiest or most fun, it’s arguably one of the most important. Most customer complaints are centered around fulfillment issues, for example. And if your business has even the slightest fulfillment gaffe in today’s social media environment, it’s one tweet away from a public relations disaster.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association may sue the state if officials don’t require Amazon.com to pay sales taxes when it begins using two distribution centers now under construction in Tennessee.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is staying at about the same levels as last year this summer, but is expected to resume increases in the fall, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Williams-Sonoma, a specialty retailer of high-quality products for the home, announced today that Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma will offer international shipping, joining PBteen in its partnership with FiftyOne Global Ecommerce, a provider of international e-commerce services and infrastructure to U.S. retailers. Customers in more than 75 countries will now be able to shop online for Williams-Sonoma products.

While direct marketers and their suppliers have been preaching multichannel retailing for years, there's been a singular lack of attention given to back-end operations designed to support this new and more complex retailing environment.