September saw retail and logistics industry veteran Mike Hancox take the helm at parcel delivery company Yodel. He is hoping his wide-ranging CV, including time at Yodel’s predecessor White Arrow Parcels, Hermes and several retailers will help him to start delivering profits at the carrier. “What I bring is not (more…)
In an exclusive interview with eDelivery, the IKEA sustainable mobility head Angela Hultberg talks about the strengths and limitations of electric vehicles (EVs). eDelivery.net: What does the term “sustainability” mean to IKEA and how important is the issue to customers in your sector? Angela Hultberg: It means we want to (more…)
An unobtrusive premises in Monkton Park, Milton Keynes, hardly seems like a likely hub for a sophisticated robotics operation. But it is from here that Starship runs its fleet of delivery robots, which are currently delivering food and drink for the likes of Tesco and the Co-op. Pictures aren’t allowed (more…)
Fossil fuel alternatives are becoming mainstream in ecommerce but action is needed from governments to encourage growth, says UPS’s head of sustainability in Europe. Peter Harris tells eDelivery that of the company’s 120,000 vehicles over 10,000 are now using alternative fuels. Next year a full-quarter of all vehicles UPS buys (more…)
Like many other couriers, DPD is forging a deeper connection with the end consumer via the likes of mobile apps – but the company’s UK marketing director Tim Jones says in an exclusive interview that this is not intended to replace or challenge the retailer-customer relationship. “It’s the e-shippers or (more…)
UPS took a data-driven approach to introduce machine vision solutions to the problem of jams in its automated facilities, its enterprise director of advanced analytics explained in a presentation this week. Mohammed Chaara told the audience at the AI Summit in London that the company had generated a solution for (more…)
Accurate forecasting is key to online flower company Bloom & Wild’s ability to offer next-day and same-day delivery, its CEO tells eDelivery. Aron Gelbard is also co-founder of the start-up, which launched in 2013. The seller recently made headlines by replacing Interflora as Ocado’s flower partner. The company offers next-day (more…)
Zalando’s shift from being a wholesaler to a marketplace may be held back by brands’ reluctance to use its fulfilment service, according to a major investment firm. UBS downgraded the retailer’s investment rating on the basis of interviews with some of the biggest partners of Zalando Fulfilment Solutions (ZFS), claiming (more…)
The term warehouse automation can denote anything from the installation of conveyor belts to the fully automated picking and packing processes of Ocado. Process automation may provide a middle ground for retailers that want to reap the productivity gains without huge investments. An Aberdeen Standard Investments survey of supply chain (more…)
Warehouse management systems (WMS) are a tool to get more efficiency out of your logistics processes. eDelivery looks at Shopify WMS apps. Stock Sync Stock Sync is a tool for updating and managing inventory. It is especially designed for offline retailers who are looking to expand into ecommerce. The (more…)
Retailers should be embracing the electric delivery van faster, according to the founder of ASOS’s zero carbon delivery partner Gnewt Cargo. Things are set to change, Sam Clarke, now head of business development, tells eDelivery, as pressure from public opinion and regulation will soon force retailers and carriers to act. (more…)
For retailers selling online via an ecommerce platform, the plugins they choose determine what kind of experience the customer gets. eDelivery looks at some of the top Shopify apps for differentiating on the last mile. 1. Gophr Claiming to be “super simple” to install, Gophr offers same-day delivery (more…)
London has launched its ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ), which will impose charges on drivers of certain vehicles. Delivery vans that do not meet the Euro 6 emissions standard will be charged £12.50 per day within the specified zone, while lorries will be charged up to £100. The same as the (more…)
Supermarkets are going to be forced to adapt to using a range of delivery methods to meet sustainability goals, according to a Sainsbury’s executive. Speaking at the eDelivery stage at InternetRetailing Expo, online operations development manager Max Conrad said the time when one solution would fit all delivery situations had (more…)
Partnerships will be key to ensuring retailers can deliver on customer expectations for fulfilment, according to the John Lewis operations director. Berangere Michel made the comments as part of a wider discussion about omnichannel fulfilment at Retail Week Live on Wednesday (27 March). “There isn’t such a thing as offline (more…)
The birth of the “circular economy” is forcing retailers and brands to consider not only how to get products to customers but how to get them back again. The circular economy is a proposed alternative to the traditional “linear” one in which products are made, used and disposed of. The (more…)
One of the advantages of small companies is that the management knows how things work. This is certainly the case with Richard Davies, the MD of Hattons Model Railways, who is not hesitant to talk about what the company is doing behind the scenes. Davies recently posted on LinkedIn about (more…)
Paul Durkin, director of home and efulfilment at Wincanton, talks about the best ways to handle the growing deluge of returns. Online shopping is now an everyday activity for consumers. We’ve become used to being no more than a few clicks away from our favourite products, and advances in delivery (more…)
Executives from Hermes and DPD used MetaPack’s Delivery Conference 2019 to showcase their new consumer-facing delivery apps – but the pitches show a potential conflict over who owns the consumer relationship. The talks came one after the other: first DPD’s director of marketing Tim Jones, who had stepped in for (more…)
This week Amazon outlined a shipment goal of delivering 50% of its shipments with net zero carbon by 2030. With the EU also introducing regulations on heavy duty vehicles, the pressure on the industry to act is increasing. eDelivery looks at some of the other players in the space and (more…)