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…)
Whether to offer free returns is emerging as a contentious issue for retailers. We recently published an op-ed by Gary Rohloff of Laybuy putting the case against. Now Tobias Buxhoidt, Founder and CEO of parcelLab explains why he believes the pros far outweigh the cons. It’s understandable why returns are viewed (more…)
This week saw Co-op announce that it is trialling home delivery using Deliveroo from a number of its London stores. The service is now available from 11 London stores, in addition to the five in Manchester where it has been trialled since last year. The product range includes fresh foods, (more…)
With urban deliveries on the rise, logistics companies are looking at ways to minimise their environmental impact as much as possible. For DHL, moving parcels by boat is providing a promising way to do so in Amsterdam and Venice – and the company is hoping to eventually export the model (more…)
Oliver Kingham, founder and MD at LLM Handling, explains the factors that need to be considered when choosing warehouse machinery. Whether you’re designing an entirely new warehouse, or just updating your current one, selecting the right equipment is essential if you want to move and store stock as quickly and (more…)
The immediate damage from Ocado’s warehouse fire in Andover has been dramatic, but the online grocer seems to be anticipating a long-term impact as well. Staff have now been able to access the affected area as normal and pressurised materials have been removed from the site. However, Ocado’s share price (more…)
According to Capgemini, warehouse automation could potentially increase margins by 8% through higher throughput and lower fulfilment costs. The interest is certainly there from retailers, with Zalando’s logistics head recently suggesting creating an “open operating system” for automation in distribution centres along the lines of Android, allowing different systems in a warehouse (more…)
Dan Ennor, commercial director at Global Freight Solutions (GFS), shares learnings from the company’s peak period, during which it saw parcel volumes rise 20% year-on-year. The peak period (Nov-Dec) is considered a lucrative time of year for nearly all retailers, emphasised by the fact that UK consumers spent a sizeable (more…)
Ocado saw its share price rise on news over the weekend that it might sign a new deal with Marks & Spencer. Details in the Mail on Sunday report were vague at this stage but suggested that Ocado could effectively replace its range of Waitrose products with M&S ones. It (more…)