Shipping

More than ever, consumers are making purchase decisions based on how fast they can get products in their hands. To meet these growing expectations for speed and convenience, traditional retailers are overhauling their supply chains to compete with Amazon.com and other rivals. Retailers also are asking more of their suppliers to help keep inventory low…

Even though the potential strike at UPS hasn’t yet been averted (the current labor agreement is set to expire July 31, and the two parties haven't ratified a tentative agreement), the company has decided that now is a good time to impose intra-year rate hikes. UPS already changed its fuel surcharge tables for air export…

Amazon.com announced today the launch of a new offering designed to help individuals build their own companies that deliver Amazon packages. With the offering, Amazon will provide an active role in helping interested entrepreneurs start, set up and manage their own delivery businesses, even with little or no logistics experience. Amazon will offer the  couriers — who…

Every day we hear about the new solutions and tools Amazon.com is developing to create a better customer experience (CX). With its innovative shipping systems, like Fulfillment by Amazon Onsite and Amazon Prime, the company has made fast, inexpensive shipping the key to attracting new customers and staying ahead of fast-growing customer demand. While many…

It wasn’t long ago that e-commerce and online deliveries made consumers nervous. Is it really safe to share my credit card information online, they wondered. Is my shopping history being tracked? We’ve come a long way since then, and most of those fears have evaporated with time. However, the online delivery stakes are rising by…

Dropoff’s annual survey aims to uncover shoppers’ motivations and expectations surrounding delivery. This year’s findings shed light on startling insights that should be on every retailer’s radar. Consumers’ delivery expectations are rapidly increasing, but their experiences are actually declining. Meanwhile, trust in crowdsourced peer-to-peer delivery providers remains staggeringly low. It’s obvious retailers are struggling to…

Kroger announced a deal this week with British online grocer Ocado to help improve its grocery delivery services through the construction of robotically operated warehouses. A report by Reuters states the deal is Ocado's first in the United States and company’s fourth major agreement with retailers in six months. Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen called the…

Sears Auto Centers, a division of Sears Holdings Corp., announced yesterday that it's working with Amazon.com to provide tire installation and balancing for customers who purchase any brand of tires on Amazon, including its own DieHard brand. The rollout will begin in the coming weeks for eight metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami,…

Walmart's online grocery delivery partnerships with ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft have ended, according to two sources, a potential setback for the retailer's ambitions to challenge Amazon.com with speedy delivery of groceries to people's homes. The end of the Walmart partnerships, which hasn't been previously reported and was confirmed by Walmart and Uber, undercuts a vision the…

United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) told Reuters yesterday that it's in talks with at least one U.S. trucking firm to launch an in-home delivery service for large, heavy goods such as couches and treadmills, as the world’s largest package deliverer looks to cash in on one the fastest-growing segments of online retail. UPS and its…