Shipping

Amazon Patents Shipping Label With Built-In Parachute for Drone Delivery
June 1, 2017 at 12:17 pm

It's a bird, it's a plane … never mind, it's just my Amazon Fashion order. It was announced this week that Amazon.com received a patent for a shipping label with a built-in parachute to help drone and air craft deliveries make a soft landing. GeekWire reports the newly issued patent would have the shipping label look…

Retailers Activate the New Moment of Truth to Engage Customers
May 31, 2017 at 10:27 am

When shoppers buy a product today, they're far more likely to be influenced by the experience than solely by the price or product features. Whether walking into a Sonos listening boutique to shop for speakers, “trying on” makeup through Sephora’s mobile app or heading into a Nike store to test out shoes in virtual reality,…

How to Compete in the Age of Free and Fast Shipping
May 22, 2017 at 10:15 am

Car service? Check. Dinner? Check. Beer and wine? Check. In today’s on-demand economy, consumers can order virtually anything with the simple touch of a finger and have it at their doorstep in a matter of hours, if not sooner. Not only do consumers want this, they expect it. And they don’t want to pay exorbitant,…

What Target Restock Means for the Retail Industry
May 17, 2017 at 5:06 pm

Earlier this month, Target revealed that it's testing a new service called Target Restock. The service, which is currently in trial with Target employees ahead of a customer-facing pilot this summer in the Minneapolis area, is designed to offer an easy way for consumers to shop online for household essentials that will arrive the day…

The Top 100 Fastest-Growing Retailers
May 16, 2017 at 10:39 am

Total Retail is excited to present its seventh annual ranking of the 100 fastest-growing publicly traded retailers. This year’s list, as in years past, is based on companies’ year-over-year net sales growth, comparing the 2016 fiscal year to the 2015 fiscal year.

Retail Right Now: May 12
May 12, 2017 at 11:11 am

Welcome to another episode of Retail Right Now! Big news in the retail industry this week includes Coach's acquisition of Kate Spade, Forever 21 and Rue 21 being accused of stealing an indie brand's designs, and Amazon.com lowering its free shipping minimum to $25.

Target Begins Testing Next-Day Delivery
May 9, 2017 at 12:04 pm

Target announced yesterday that it’s testing a next-day home delivery service called Target Restock. The service, which is currently in trial with Target employees ahead of a customer-facing pilot this summer in the Minneapolis area, is designed to offer an easy way to shop online for household essentials which will arrive the day after you place…

4 Tips to Minimize the Impact of Shipping Surge Pricing
May 9, 2017 at 11:55 am

This article originally appeared on May 9. Given last week's announcement from UPS that it will be adding peak surcharges to U.S. residential packages during the holiday shopping season, we thought this article took on even greater importance. With many retailers’ e-commerce sales growing — and thus more packages being shipped via carriers like UPS…

Amazon Lowers Free Shipping Minimum Back to $25
May 9, 2017 at 10:42 am

Amazon.com has lowered its free shipping minimum back down to $25, according to reports. The change seems to have been made sometime last week. This is the second time this year that Amazon has lowered its free shipping minimum. In February, Amazon lowered the minimum to $35 from $49. Now that it’s down to $25,…

UPS Asking Retailers to Pay Extra When Shipments Miss Forecasts
May 1, 2017 at 11:59 am

United Parcel Service Inc. is starting to ask major retailers to help pay for extra workers and surplus space on trucks when a retailer fails to ship as many packages as planned during peak periods, Chief Executive David Abney told The Wall Street Journal. The new charges could also apply if the sizes of boxes retailers shipped…