Shipping

UPS has followed the lead of its chief competitor, FedEx, in announcing that rates for its Ground, Air and International services will increase by an average of 6.9 percent effective Dec. 27, according to the company’s website. Furthermore, UPS announced higher accessorial charges effective on the same date, including for residential deliveries, packages requiring additional handling, and deliveries to…

The proliferation of on-demand delivery services has dramatically increased the degree of convenience that customers experience in the purchasing process. For merchants, however, the expectation for on-demand delivery has dramatically increased the complexity of their fulfillment processes. Whether the products being delivered are prescriptions, groceries, pet supplies or pizza, getting them to the designated location…

For last mile delivery companies, now is prime time to start preparing for what's expected to be a busy holiday season. In addition to continued growth in online sales, there are a lot of other factors to consider, including how to address extenuating factors such as gas prices, labor shortages, and continued supply chain delays…

It's hard to overestimate the reach that Amazon.com has these days. What started as an online book retailer has become more than a marketplace; it's a place for market solutions. Love it or hate it, Amazon is truly a phenomenon of the 21st century. It’s not like Amazon is slowing down, either. Recently, it added same-day…

The retail supply chain has been stuck in a perpetual cycle of disruption for the last three years. From coping with the fallout of COVID-19 to navigating the shifting landscape as a result of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the retail industry has had to constantly lurch from one priority to the next to find some sort…

The U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) reseller program, which has been around since 1992 to offer discounted shipping rates, is about to be shut down and will impact e-commerce sellers at the end of this month. For the uninitiated, USPS resellers act as outsourced sales representatives for the Postal Service that work with some tech providers…

Despite inflation chatter dominating economic discussions, U.S. container imports in August 2022 (the most recent data) were 2,529,042 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which is up 18 percent from pre-pandemic August 2019. This is the first month since August 2020 that there has not been record imports vs. the previous year.  With the holiday shopping season fast…

Lowe’s and Instacart announced that same-day delivery is now available from more than 1,700 Lowe’s stores nationwide. Nearly 30,000 items can be ordered for delivery in as fast as an hour. Lowe’s is one of the first retailers on the Instacart App to roll out same-day and scheduled delivery for large items, up to 3x3x5…

Although the myth of free shipping is a topic often discussed, it seems necessary to reiterate the main takeaway: free shipping isn’t free. Someone always pays the cost for shipping, and frequently that someone is the business. Despite this revelation, brands still implement free shipping to meet ever-growing consumer expectations. Sixty-six percent of customers want free…

UPS announced last week its surcharges for the 2022 peak season, which will impact high-volume shippers expecting elevated home delivery demand during the holidays, reports Supply Chain Dive. Beginning Oct. 30, customers billed for more than 20,000 packages any week after October 2021 will see a “Peak/Demand Surcharge” applied to certain UPS Air Residential, Ground…