Shipping

U.S. retail sales soared 1.6 percent in March, posting the largest gain in a year-and-a-half and outpacing economists’ expectations. While growing sales numbers are undoubtedly good news for retailers, consumer expectations around the delivery process are also surging, making it more difficult than ever for retailers to meet customers’ demands. This might not be welcome news…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Kristina Stidham and Joe Keenan discuss the true cost of shipping for retailers following the recent publication of two articles that dug into the issue, including how retailers could mitigate rising shipping costs. Total Retail contributor Rob Martinez outlines the USPS’ new dimensional pricing and offers strategies for…

FedEx will become the first of the nation’s big three parcel delivery services to regularly deliver to residences seven days a week, starting in January. FedEx Corp.’s domestic e-commerce workhorse, FedEx Ground, typically shifts to six- or seven-day operations amid a deluge of packages during holiday peak season. This fall the shift to seven days…

The United States Postal Service is changing the way it charges for boxes shipped via Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and other parcel shipping services. Currently, the Postal Service applies a dimensional divisor (DIM) of 194 for boxes that exceed one cubic foot in volume, and only for zones five and above. Effective June 23,…

Let’s get this out there … I’m old! I’ve been a marketer for over 30 years. I started my journey in flea markets, but found my niche in direct-to-consumer marketing via catalogs, TV and now the internet. I’ve seen a great deal. Gone are the days when you could actually make money on shipping. Now…

For U.S. retailers and brands looking to expand globally and grow their revenue, Europe is very attractive. The e-commerce market is worth over $602 billion, with Western Europe accounting for approximately 68 percent of total European online retail turnover. Europe offers cross-border retailers access to over 500 million consumers and, unlike the U.S., is not…

In a blog post yesterday, Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart eCommerce, announced that Walmart will begin rolling out next-day delivery for more than 220,000 items on its website, including pet food, diapers, paper towels and laundry detergent, this week. Customers must spend at least $35 to be eligible for next-day delivery. "NextDay" delivery…

I attended the 2019 Home Delivery World conference in Philadelphia last week. Over the course of two days, the retail logistics conference featured speakers from brands such as QVC, Giant, and Etsy, presenting on topics ranging from grocery and e-commerce, to parcel and heavy goods, to last-mile delivery and returns. A session in the Data…

CVS has decided its customers will no longer have to wait a couple of days to have their prescriptions delivered. The pharmacy chain is now offering same-day delivery nationwide, almost a year after introducing one- and two-day shipping, the company announced last week. CVS will partner with Shipt, a Target company, to deliver prescriptions the same day…

Supply chain technology is entering a renaissance as retailers look to digital tools to transform nearly every aspect of operations. Nearly three-quarters of retailers report plans to digitize their supply chains as they seek to improve real-time visibility and responsiveness in an increasingly challenging environment. With pressure mounting on all sides, a well-run supply chain…