A new trial by French supermarket giant Carrefour will see it using artificial intelligence for data analysis. Working with SAS and Capgemini, the retailer will deploy the SAS Viva product to collect and process data from across its operations. The software will allow Carrefour to analyse the data from stores, (more…)
A start-up which offers logistics management software has won $25 million in investment in a funding round. Bringg, which provides a platform for enterprises to orchestrate and track their delivery operations, won the money in its C round of funding. It offers automation tools for every part of the process, (more…)
HP and Panasonic have launched new solutions at the National Retail Federation’s NRF 2019 trade show in New York to help logistics operators improve visibility of their supply chains. Working with Digimarc, HP has introduced a serialised packaging offering which allows consumer brands to provide every printed object with a (more…)
UK-based clothing and homeware retailer Matalan has deployed a new inventory management solution to improve its visibility over stock. The company will use two of Oracle’s ‘Retail Cloud’ solutions to provide a single view of merchandise across its supply chain. Through the Oracle Retail Merchandise Financial Planning Cloud Service, Matalan will (more…)
Doddle has launched its click and collect service in the US, seeking to tap into a market where it claims 70% of shoppers use the fulfilment option. The UK-based provider said its service was now available to all US retailers, although it didn’t specify how many locations were present in (more…)
UK fashion retailers are losing money due to fraudulent returns practices such as ‘wardrobing’, according to a new report. The survey of 2000 online shoppers and 200 online clothing retailer by returns company ReBOUND found that 13% of consumers have purchased clothing with the intention of wearing it once and (more…)
A new partnership between Dutch grocer Albert Heijn and Deliveroo will see them delivering hot meals in Amsterdam’s city centre. The service, called Allerhande Kookt, will allow customers to receive meals from the grocer’s online recipe database within half an hour. The meals will be cooked by a team of (more…)
Zalando is handing over control of a distribution centre in East Germany to a dedicated logistics operator. The contract with Fiege will see the latter operating the ecommerce giant’s 30,000 square metre location at Brieselang from April. The site is Zalando’s smallest logistics hub, a quarter of the size of (more…)
Current last mile delivery models are struggling to keep up with demand but automation could provide a solution, according to a new study. A survey by Capgemini of consumers and supply chain professionals found that 97% of organisations felt current last mile delivery models would not be sustainable to be (more…)
Ocado has invested £3 million to begin moving its fleet onto natural gas in an effort to cut its emissions. The online grocer has installed a natural gas refuelling station at its Hatfield Customer Fulfilment Centre. In addition, 29 vehicles of its HGV fleet or 20% of the total will (more…)
German logistics operator DB Schenker has partnered with Magento to launch a new ecommerce fulfilment solution. Called the Warehouse Manager, the extension will allow small and mid-sized merchants to connect their Magento web shops with the warehousing and fulfilment services offered by DB Schenker. The solution consists of a standardised (more…)
Whistl subsidiary Parcelhub has introduced a new type of label for retailers, designed to simplify picking and packing of orders. Integrated Labels will allow picking sheets, packing slips and shipping labels on a single piece of paper. This will mean orders can be processed more quickly, allowing online retailers to (more…)
As 2019 begins, there is no time to relax for retailers as customers return their unwanted Christmas gifts. The story is a neat reminder that the demanding online shopper is not just for Christmas but all year round. Unfortunately, there are signs that even during peak season the industry is (more…)
Returns will rise 80% today (2 January) compared to a standard day in December as consumers send back unwanted Christmas gifts, according to Royal Mail. The survey of 1503 consumers that make returns found that clothing was the most commonly returned item, with 75% of respondents who had bought clothing (more…)
Average delivery times during the peak period have increased year-on-year, according to a new study. Retailers now take an average of five days to deliver compared to 3.6 days last year, according to an audit of 57 retailer websites by Kurt Salmon, part of Accenture Strategy. The researchers placed 92 (more…)
Amazon is leasing an additional 10 aircraft as it looks to support demand for Prime delivery. The company expanded its partnership with Air Transport Services Group to add the new Boeing 767-300 aircraft, increasing its fleet to 50. Amazon said the new planes would join its air cargo operation over (more…)
A round-up of some of the week’s biggest stories from FedEx, Bang & Olufsen and Skechers. FedEx unphased by Amazon as results dragged down by European weakness A story earlier this month saw Morgan Stanley analyst Ravi Shanker claim that Amazon’s air freight business could sap revenue from FedEx (more…)
Mobile operator Vodafone has used its 4G network for a drone delivery to a remote area of the UK in a first for the country. The demonstration saw Vodafone technicians using a drone to deliver food to Portland Bill Coastwatch, located at one of the UK’s most southerly points. While (more…)
The retail industry could save $41.36 billion a year by introducing AI into its logistics operations, according to a new study. Titled ‘Building the Retail Superstar’, the Capgemini report claimed that retailers could save 6.9% of their logistics costs by using AI to optimise several core functions in logistics. An (more…)
Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn will deliver products for free via electric bikes as part of a partnership with a local smartphone app. Customers will now be able to order from the retailer’s convenience range, AH to go, through the smartphone app Thuisbezorgd.nl, which offers goods from 7500 restaurants in (more…)