Shipping

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…

While same-day and scheduled delivery options are ideal, they're not without their challenges. Elevated delivery service of any kind takes extra effort, but the results are more than worth it. Some mistakes are unavoidable and many consumers understand that, as roughly 50 percent of shoppers would give a retailer a second chance after a poor…

The U.S. Postal Service filed a notice Wednesday of a temporary price hike for this year’s peak holiday season, which it said would help cover extra handling costs. The agency said the adjustment was approved by its board of governors and is now pending review by the Postal Regulatory Commission. The price increase would go…

To rise above the competition, whether online or in-store, retailers need to ensure their customer experience remains consistent throughout the shopping journey, all the way to the consumer’s front door. Recent reports indicate that “one in three shoppers now expects same-day delivery,” and that “90 percent of consumers now see two- or three-day delivery as the…

These past two years have cemented consumers' behavior of turning to e-commerce for their shopping needs. In fact, it's estimated that 95 percent of all purchases will take place online by 2040. Exceptional customer experiences and speedy fulfillment and distribution are not just lofty goals — they're the expectations of every online shopping experience. However,…

Amazon.com announced on Monday that Prime members in some U.S. metro areas can now get same-day delivery from select retail stores. At launch, members in Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; Las Vegas; Miami; Phoenix; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Seattle; and Washington, D.C. can shop from PacSun, GNC, SuperDry, and Diesel on the Amazon app and Amazon.com and receive their items the…

There's nothing quite like that feeling of a package arriving. Whether it's new workout gear from a far off boutique or a poke bowl from down the street, discovering your order has arrived at your door on time is always a delight. From a consumer's point of view, the process of receiving what you ordered…

There's an urgent need to increase sustainable shipping practices among e-commerce retailers. Research shows e-commerce has grown two to five times faster than before the pandemic. And while this surge in online shopping has been positive for retailers, fulfilling these orders has material consequences for the environment. In fact, the World Economic Forum predicts emissions…

While retailers and logistics organizations have been grappling with home delivery challenges for years, the ripple effect of the pandemic-driven global supply chain disruptions, coupled with the ever-widening appeal of e-commerce, has created a “make-or-break” situation for e-commerce retailers. Indeed, a new study by Descartes and SAPIO Research of 8,000 North American and European consumers…