Supply Chain

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…

The COVID pandemic reshaped the world of e-commerce and, concurrently, consumer expectations. With most brick-and-mortar stores temporarily shuttered, consumers moved online en masse and found a revamped online shopping experience. One report found that the pandemic accelerated the global shift to e-commerce by five years. But now, as the world returns to “normal,” online retailers…

There's an undeniable focus on personalization in the fashion industry. However, personalization on its own doesn't carry the same benefit in the worldwide market. Today, fashion garments are widely available and accessible for purchase, no matter where in the world a consumer is located. This means localization is particularly important for retailers looking to tap…

Amazon Prime Day is globally recognized as one of if not the most successful e-commerce events in the world. This year’s Prime Day was Amazon.com's most successful event to date, with Prime members in more than 20 countries purchasing upwards of 300 million products in the mere span of 48 hours. With same- and next-day…

The vertical fashion supply chain is suffering from an array of century-old problems. The manufacturing pipeline is slow, disorganized, and lacks transparency. On a macro level, fast-fashion and apparel account for a whopping 10 percent of carbon emissions globally, making the fashion industry one of the biggest culprits of climate change. At the retail level,…

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…

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…

Post-Pandemic E-Commerce Consumer Expectations

Excess inventory. Losing pace with shifts in customer behavior. Erosion of gross margin. Selling on markdowns. Missing forecasts. No time for innovation. What do these have in common? These are the symptoms of a retailer suffering from a lack of speed. Speed to market, that is. If you skim recent headlines, this is what you’ll…