Supply Chain

E-commerce sales rose steadily the first half of 2022, with sales increasing 2.7 percent between Q1 and Q2. But even with the coming holiday sales surge, that trend might not continue. In fact, some reports predict that the number of online orders this holiday season will be down 5 percent compared to 2021. Why? And…

In episode 378 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Nathan Sanders, CEO of Brook Furniture Rental, an industry leader in home and office furniture rentals. Sanders discusses Brook Furniture Rental's recent expansion from its core B-to-B business into direct-to-consumer selling (0:52), how both consumer and business customers can order from the company (4:13), and…

Walgreens announced on Thursday a 24/7 delivery service, offering delivery from nearly 400 stores in as little as an hour. Participating 24-hour Walgreens stores will offer more than 27,000 items, from groceries to over-the-counter medications to household essentials like toothbrushes and skincare products. The new service does comes with some exceptions, most notably around the delivery time. The…

With prolonged inflation, hiked interest rates, and an economic downturn, it's no wonder consumers are feeling an increased amount of stress when making purchases or buying services. And with the holiday season upon us, many are rethinking their spending habits even more than they already were. In fact, 60 percent of consumers say their priorities keep changing…

Times are tough for retailers. The convergence of inflation, squeezed margins, continued supply chain challenges, and cybercrime is changing the playing field. The culmination of these factors has created the perfect storm of complete turmoil for retailers. As retailers try to protect their bottom line, many are turning their attention inward to see how they…

Saks OFF 5TH is enhancing its online shopping experience with the launch of Guaranteed Delivery Date, a real-time calculated delivery date throughout the shopping journey for thousands of items available on SaksOFF5TH.com. Customers no longer have to wait until their order is shipped to have visibility into arrival date. With Guaranteed Delivery Date, customers will now…

Adapt or fail. That's a choice retailers are often forced to make given the pace of change in the world today — especially when it comes to logistics. It's more important now than ever for retail leaders to ensure critical aspects of business, like their fulfillment operations and last mile delivery, are streamlined. Fortunately, this…

Each and every day automation is changing the way in which we operate. Retail distribution and fulfillment centers understand this firsthand, as they're increasingly integrating automated solutions into their day-to-day operations as consumer demand continues to increase. A recent report from Futurum Research interviewed industry leaders and executives to gather their thoughts on the challenges…

What a difference a year or two can make. During 2020 and 2021, retailers struggled to keep up with demand for many items, largely due to supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages. Shortly after the pandemic started and through last year, a significant reduction of markdowns and in-store promotions took place because retailers could leverage…

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…