by Daphne Howland, Staff Writer, Retail Dive / Dive Brief / Amazon reported third quarter net sales of $32.7 billion on Thursday, up 29% from $25.4 billion in the year-ago quarter, buoyed by the runaway success of its annual Prime Day shopping event as well as strong back-to-school shopping activity. Amazon posted third-quarter earnings per… Read More
e-commerce
The X-Border Payments Superhighway
By PYMNTS / The internet has changed almost every facet of daily life, and that’s especially true for international trade. The web has connected buyers and sellers looking to do business around the globe, giving companies the tools and abilities to process most of these transactions. Shannon Scott, director of risk and payments at uShip,… Read More
Can trucking prosper in a free shipping-minded world?
by Sean Kilcarr in Trucks at Work, Fleet Owner Magazine / The demand for free shipping, especially for e-commerce goods, seems to be placing greater and greater stress on last-mile delivery networks. That was one of the major findings from the 27th annual State of Logistics report, released last month: that “gaps” in infrastructure and “accelerating… Read More
Key Factors Driving Changes in “Last Mile” Deliveries
SCDigest Editorial Staff / Industry Veteran and uShip Executive Metzler Shares His Perspective with Stifel’s John Larkin / So called “last mile” deliveries are of course at the heart of the eFulfillment challenge. / SCDigest notes that just recently, UPS announced it was greatly expanding it locker program, adding 300 new locations across the US,… Read More
Have a Nuclear Option for Amazon, Former FedEx Exec Says
by Ari Ashe, Staff Reporter, Transport Topics / A former top logistics executive at FedEx believes Amazon is not ready to take on the parcel and freight carrier yet, but suggests FedEx should have an action plan ready for a prolonged battle over on-demand logistics in the near future. / The two companies have grown… Read More
Will On-Demand Delivery Soon Run Out Of Gas?
by PYMNTS / With some in the industry predicting that on-demand delivery is unsustainable for many retailers, companies might still be assuming that they can neither afford to keep pace with the likes of Amazon nor stop trying. But a look into why, exactly, on-demand delivery might crumble under its own weight shows that the… Read More
On-demand may not be future of online delivery
by Dan Berthiaume, Chain Store Age / An increasing number of retailers and third-party providers are offering delivery of online orders same-day or even within an hour. However, not every shipping expert sees this model as where online delivery is headed. Two executives from Austin, Texas-based virtual shipping marketplace uShip – Matt Chasen, CEO and Dick… Read More
On Free Delivery, Can Amazon And Sellers Find A Middle Ground?
By PYMNTS / One of the most pervasive yet unspoken truths in the retail world is that, sooner or later, Amazon is going to have to jack up prices for its growing horde of free or nearly-free services. That’s only possible if it can get not just some and not just most but just about… Read More
The Looming Limits of On-Demand Delivery
By Daphne Howland, Contributing Editor, Retail Dive / Amazon and a slew of startups have taught consumers that they can get their online orders delivered in minutes. But are consumers willing to pay for what that really costs? / Last month, fresh-out-of-bankruptcy American Apparel announced that it’s partnering with on-demand delivery service Postmates for… Read More