Amazon’s 500,000sq ft warehouse in Hemel Hempstead is just one of ten which the retail behemoth operates in the UK, forming part of a network of 130 across the globe. From here a range of products, including cuddly toys, bags and books, are shipped to its customers and those of the myriad sellers on its marketplace. “Sellers ask us to check the level of stock on their shelf,” says Katie McQuaid, Director, Fulfilment by Amazon, UK but – as… (more…)
…launch of ToYou, a parcel delivery network that takes advantage of spare capacity in the supermarket giant’s network. There is, as someone pointed out to me only last week, another big A dominating the retail landscape: Amazon. Perhaps it’s not so surprising then that while I was reading through some of the eDelivery Magazine archive from earlier this year one feature in particular jumped out at me – a review by three readers of… (more…)
Amazon’s 500,000sq ft warehouse in Hemel Hempstead is just one of 10 which the retail behemoth operates in the UK, forming part of a network of 130 across the globe. From here a range of products, including cuddly toys, bags and books, are shipped to its customers and those of the myriad sellers on its marketplace, writes Emma Herrod in this feature taken from the current eDelivery Magazine. “Sellers ask us to check the level of stock on their s… (more…)
Each issue, eDelivery asks three reviewers to take a look at a leading retailer and benchmark their performance from the consumers’ perspective in terms of delivery, collect and returns, and analyse what this means for their back-end operations and retail strategy. This issue: Amazon UK. DELIVERY 70% Stuart Higgins and Will Dawson, LCP Consulting Amazon UK is the nation’s biggest online retailer. Its USP is Amazon Prime, providing free, next-da… (more…)
With Amazon Business still in BETA in the UK, Mark Thornton, Marketing Director at Maginus, takes a look at how the offering has developed in the US – and what the UK wholesale and distribution market should be prepared for. Mark Thornton, Maginus Few businesses have shaken up the retail sector as dramatically as Amazon, which has developed from a small online bookstore to become one of the largest, most diverse online businesses in the world. Y… (more…)
Last month, we ran a story on reports that Amazon is developing an app that will open the door to a crowd-sourced approach to parcel delivery – an Uber for the delivery sector now looms on the horizon. We invited readers to share their thoughts on the topic… is this the start of something hugely significant, is it a hype-fuelled flash in the pan, have we seen it all before, is it doomed to fail? Steffen Pasgaard, vice president at EDI-Soft… (more…)
Amazon is to create more than 1,500 new permanent jobs with the opening of a fulfilment centre in Essex in Spring 2017, the online giant has announced. This news comes fast on the heels of the Doncaster fulfilment centre announcement of a week ago. Amazon says this is all part of its ongoing strategy to grow its UK fulfilment centre network in order to meet customer demand, increase its product selection and support ever more third party Marketp… (more…)
Here is Amazon’s first ever branded cargo plane ‘Amazon One’, part of a planned fleet of 40 Prime Air jets. The aim of this investment in air transport is to vastly improve the web giant’s supply chain operations across the US. In particular Amazon is hoping to speed up cargo transportation between its distribution centres, and make next day delivery possible for US inventory that wasn’t previously available for the next day se… (more…)
Joining Birmingham, London, and Newcastle, Amazon shoppers in and around Manchester are now able to get one-hour delivery via the online retail giant’s Prime Now service. Orders placed as late as 9:45pm on Christmas Eve are eligible for Prime Now delivery, although in some postcode areas it operates as a two-hour delivery. Outlying parts of the Manchester conurbation, including Bolton, Eccles, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Warrington, and Wi… (more…)
In the first part of this feature, which you can find here, we discussed some of the industry speculation regarding Amazon leasing aircraft and its supposed ambitions to make waves in the air freight business. Amazon is not a company that has ever rested on its laurels; it is constantly in motion. But will that motion take it into the skies? Well, it certainly looks that way. Although Amazon won’t be drawn, there are plenty of other sources disc… (more…)
It has been estimated that warehouse robots have cut Amazon’s operational costs by $22m in each warehouse where they’re located since being introduced two years ago. Alexey Tabolkin believes that allowing people and robots to work to their strengths lies at the heart of Amazon’s recently reported success. Amazon is going from strength to strength, with the opening of new fulfilment centres in Tilbury and Doncaster recently announced. This is… (more…)
A new initiative has launched from Amazon that could change the way UK consumers top on on everyday essentials like coffee, razor blades, pet food and washing powder. The Dash Button – a Wi-Fi connected device – has been introduced to bring Amazon’s popular 1-Click ordering into the home. “When you’re running low, just press the button and an order is placed and fulfilled with Prime’s unlimited One-Day Delivery,” sa… (more…)
eDelivery rounds up some of the main ecommerce logistics stories of the last week. FedEx ends Amazon contract FedEx will allow its contract with Amazon for US express delivery services to expire come 30 June. The decision does not affect contracts outside the US in other countries or for international services. The delivery firm said that ending its relationship with Amazon would allow it to focus on serving the broader ecommerce market,… (more…)
Amazon’s obsession with innovative logistics dates back to 1994 when Jeff Bezos began building his empire from a humble garage in suburban Washington. Today Philippe Hémard, Vice President for Amazon Logistics Europe reminded an international audience of e-commerce and supply chain executives that this drive for operational excellence in fulfilment and delivery is still the rocket fuel propelling the web giant forward. Speaking at day two… (more…)
Conspiracy theories surround many big headline-grabbing events: Kennedy’s assassination, the Moon landings, 9/11, and now even Amazon Prime Day. Yes, Amazon Prime Day might not have been all that it was cracked up to be. Leela Rao-Kataria, retail marketing manager at global supply chain company, GT Nexus, tells us why she thinks and it might actually all have been a bit of a ruse. Leela Rao-Katarina, GT Nexus On 15 July, to mark its 20th… (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 consumers and what lessons can be learnt from its success? The focus on delivery and the customer underlines why Amazon Prime Da… (more…)
Despite record results announced yesterday, Amazon is being hampered by delivery costs, eating into the e-tail giant’s Q4 profits and causing a drop in its share price. Earnings for the last quarter of 2015 were $35.7bn, Amazon said in an analyst briefing call, but profit was stunted by a significant rise in fulfilment costs, which were up 32.8% year-over-year in 2015. The retailer moved into the black, with net income of $596m (£415.3m) f… (more…)
Earlier this month, we ran a story on reports that Amazon is developing an app that will open the door to a crowd-sourced approach to parcel delivery, not dissimilar to the approach Uber has taken to taxis. We invited readers to share their thoughts on the topic… is this the start of something hugely significant, is it a hype-fuelled flash in the pan, have we seen it all before, is it doomed to fail? Stuart Higgins, Retail Partner at LCP C… (more…)
Today is the day Amazon marks its 20th birthday. When it started life it sold books, via the internet, hoping to gather enough data about its customers that it could eventually start selling them other things that match their interests. Now it’s unleashed a day of promotions that it claims will put Black Friday deals in the shade: Amazon Prime Day, which is happening right now, in case you have been hiding from your inbox and were blissfully una… (more…)
Rapid growth in Amazon’s own logistics business could knock up to $100 billion off the revenues of current logistics partners, a report has said. Investment firm Morgan Stanley estimated in an investor note that Amazon Logistics would ship 6.5 billion packages for the online retailer in 2022. Assuming a price of $10 per parcel, it predicted that this could mean UPS, FedEx and USPS losing $65 billion in annual revenues. The firm also believed tha… (more…)
