As retailers complete the reviews of their peak period it’s a time that some may reconsider their choice of logistics partner. But picking the right one isn’t easy says William Walker, sales director of Walker Logistics. As the dust from the busy fourth quarter ‘online shopping season’ finally settles, now (more…)
Last week’s snow had a major impact on retail – halting home deliveries temporarily but having a longer felt impact on supermarket shelves where bread and milk shortages were just the start of the problem. Here Stuart Higgins, director retail at BearingPoint, explains more about why it happened. ED: Why do supermarkets (more…)
Amazon Prime has changed the way consumers shop and retailers deliver for good – but how can others emulate their success? Carl Hartmann, co-founder and CEO of Temando, shares his views. There’s no denying that Amazon Prime has revolutionised the way we shop thanks to its successful model of free (more…)
Getting delivery wrong can be an expensive mistake, as Frank Lochbaum, managing partner at KPS explains. Retail customer experience extends beyond the simple act of purchase. Poor service at the point of delivery can affect whether the shopper will continue their relationship with that particular brand, or choose to shop (more…)
Innovation is a rather over-used word but can be as much about finding different ways of doing things than simply something new. Jonathan Smith, CEO at APC Overnight outlines some of the ways things are changing in the delivery world and finds that hiding behind technology isn’t always the answer. (more…)
The last mile is critical for retailers but how do you maximise the margin in the last mile? John McGuire, managing director – Elucid, at Sanderson, explains. The last mile is a concept that seems to keep creeping into the retail agenda, mainly because it’s a common tripping point for (more…)
How do you mitigate the risks of implementing drop shipping while remaining competitive and profitable in the marketplace? Ken Chrisman, division president of Sealed Air, explains. As traditional brick-and-mortar retailers look to wage war on the dominance of e-commerce giants, delivery services are a key battleground. Breaking from traditional fulfilment (more…)
Omnichannel retailers are turning their attentions to warehouse automation. The reasons may be all too apparent, but the path to a successful project is not so obvious, says Neil Adcock, consulting partner at Bis Henderson Consulting. Why are omnichannel retailers suddenly taking an interest in automating their warehouses? Until very (more…)
Robots have always been considered as futuristic. The reality is, they are entering the here-and-now in a significant and transformative way – and nowhere more so than in the modern warehouse says Simon Cooper, business solutions sales director, Dematic Northern Europe. Across all walks of life, robots, in the form of (more…)
What can Amazon Prime Day teach the industry about the importance of delivery in creating customer value and delivering a first-class customer experience, asks Matthew Robertson, co-CEO of NetDespatch. Amazon Prime Day is a phenomenon – it is now etched on the retail calendar. What makes it resonate so effectively with (more…)
Innovation in the world of delivery is happening fast but as Jonathan Smith, CEO at APC Overnight, says there’s more to it than meets the eye. Innovation doesn’t just mean something new – a new gadget, application or product. For some, it might just mean finding different ways of doing (more…)
Congestion is a critical city logistics issue. Craig Ryder, director of Go Supply Chain, explores some of the many solutions to getting deliveries through the last mile challenge. Congestion, created by both road freight and passenger vehicles, means slower speeds resulting in longer trip times. Factors are mounting to make (more…)
There are many external forces, such as government legislation, that will have an impact on the delivery landscape, so how can you minimise their potential effects, asks Niklas Hedin, CEO of Centiro. In the modern office, the door buzzer commonly signals the arrival of a package, rather than somebody showing (more…)
In retail a seamless experience is required so could the sector take learnings from the fast food drive thru model when it comes to click and collect, asks Tom Downes, CEO of Quail Digital. When it comes to click & collect, speed of execution is the number one customer priority. (more…)
It is clear from the detail of the recent ‘PeopleVox Fulfilment Report 2017’, that many traditional warehouse operations are really struggling to keep pace with the growth in sales, and that automation holds the key, writes Alexey Tabolkin, CEO of Eiratech Robotics. The PeopleVox Fulfilment Report 2017, featured recently here at (more…)
Whilst we are basking in the unusually high summer temperatures many are busy thinking about colder times – with planning for peak currently top of mind for retailers and carriers alike. The news this week then that UPS is to introduce a peak delivery charge to cover the additional costs (more…)
So who guessed that the election result would be a hung parliament? The country as a whole is still trying to understand what that will mean for the UK but this week we have early reaction from the delivery and logistics sector. Despite the uncertainty over the future a number (more…)
Generation Z know no different to ‘I want it now!’ which means that online retailers should already be catering to their youngers customers’ needs, says FJ Miller, co-founder and chairman at same day delivery platform Liefery While millennials have lived through the technology boom and have become accustomed to getting (more…)
So today we’ve woken to a surprise Hung Parliament result. But what does that mean for the UK’s export and logistics businesses? Peter Ward, CEO of the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA), says that with Brexit negotiations so close the result means a failure to provide the level of stability (more…)
Retailers have long been worried about the final mile experience of someone else being in charge of their last interaction with their customers when it comes to ecommerce. Does a delivery driver really understand the importance of customer experience in the same way that a store employee does? The news (more…)