Shipping

Amazon is Bringing Free Whole Foods Delivery to Prime Members in San Francisco and Atlanta
March 7, 2018 at 1:26 pm

Amazon.com announced yesterday it’s expanding its delivery partnership with Whole Foods by rolling out free delivery from the grocery chain to Prime members in San Francisco and Atlanta. Recode reports orders that total at least $35 can be delivered within two hours for free through Amazon's Prime Now service, or within one hour for an…

Amazon Acquires Smart Home Company Ring
February 28, 2018 at 3:10 pm

Amazon.com announced yesterday the acquisition of smart home company, Ring. The $1 billion-plus price tag represents Amazon's second largest ever acquisition (the online giant paid $13.6 billion for Whole Foods). Recode reports Ring is now being bought for somewhere between $1.2 billion and $1.8 billion. The startup recently authorized a fundraising round that would have…

Walmart's Sam's Club Partners With Instacart to Deliver Groceries, Combat Amazon
February 27, 2018 at 11:54 am

Sam's Club, a division of Walmart, is partnering with Instacart to offer same-day delivery, adding yet another major grocer to Instacart's arsenal as it tries to compete with Amazon.com. In a joint press release, Sam’s Club and Instacart said the service will be available to shoppers in Austin and Dallas-Forth Worth in Texas, and St. Louis,…

Retail Resolutions for 2018
February 19, 2018 at 12:40 pm

Driven by continuous changes in technology and consumer behavior, retail’s survival is dependent on the industry’s ability to adapt to the customer journey and accommodate the blurred lines of shopping. However, with Amazon.com disrupting the industry, store closures being announced regularly, and the phrase "retail apocalypse" continuing to permeate the headlines, it's unlikely consumers will…

Same-Day Delivery Drives Brand Loyalty and Purchase Intent
February 15, 2018 at 9:59 am

While the holidays come just once a year, a brand’s reputation can easily be damaged and customers quickly lost when expectations aren’t met during the pivotal shopping season. This past holiday season, we saw retailers make changes to their delivery options to provide shoppers with conveniences they increasingly see as essential, like same-day delivery. At…

Amazon Launching Delivery Service to Rival UPS, FedEx
February 12, 2018 at 12:54 pm

Amazon.com is preparing to launch a delivery service for businesses, positioning it to compete directly with UPS and FedEx, according to a Feb. 9 Reuters report. Dubbed "Shipping with Amazon," or SWA, the new service will enable the online retail giant to pick up packages from businesses and ship them to consumers. Amazon will roll out…

Amazon Prime Now to Deliver Groceries From Whole Foods
February 9, 2018 at 2:51 pm

Amazon.com is moving full speed ahead with its grocery business. Mashable reports the e-commerce giant's Prime Now delivery service — which delivers groceries, household items, gifts and more in two hours — is partnering with Whole Foods. Prime customers can now have their groceries and lifestyle items delivered to their door in two hours or…

Delivery Experience Key to Retailer Success, Survey Reveals
February 9, 2018 at 1:37 pm

We’ve all seen the headline “Retail is Dead,” but in reality only mediocrity is dead. As retail guru Steve Dennis recently pointed out, there are success stories on either side of the retail spectrum, from luxury brands to cost savers. While retailers move through brick-and-mortar, e-commerce, “digital first” and omnichannel strategies, consumers are demanding a…

Shipping Rates Are Changing — Are You Ready?
February 3, 2018 at 10:09 am

As they do every year, all the major carriers are raising their shipping rates for 2018. UPS raised shipping rates an average of 4.9 percent and residential surcharges 4 percent to 6 percent starting Dec. 24, 2017, while FedEx raised shipping rates an average of 4.9 percent and residential surcharges 4 percent to 8 percent…