No ecommerce without logistics. Because whenever a consumer orders something online, that product has to be shipped from one place (a warehouse or fulfilment centre) to another (the consumer’s house, a pick-up point, et cetera). So logistics play a very important role in the whole ecommerce process. In order to achieve success in the online retail industry, one has to have a very solid logistics plan in place.
The majority of online shoppers in the United Kingdom prefer fast to free delivery, while retailers think these delivery options are equally valued by consumers. Retailers think 43 percent of shoppers want free delivery and 57 percent prefer fast delivery, but in reality it’s 86 percent of UK shoppers who prefer free shipping. Continue reading
Almost nine in ten Brits have sent or received a parcel in the last six months. That’s no surprise, as the courier and express delivery market showed a €1.1 billion increase in sales last year. The Brits now spend as much as 11.4 billion euros on these services. Continue reading
Parcel companies could improve the efficiency of their delivery by 30 percent if they use What3words, the UK startup claims. With What3words, you don’t refer to addresses the usual way (“Main Street 1”), but by pinpointing exact delivery locations using a unique combination of three different words. Continue reading
During the Deliver #2 event last week, the online platform Deliver in Europe has been officially launched. This platform on cross-border parcel delivery services is a new EU-funded initiative that will help small online retailers by informing them about the range of parcel delivery service providers they could use to ship cross border. Continue reading
Tesco, the biggest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, has launched its own one-hour delivery service, called Tesco Now. This app-based delivery service is meant to compete directly with Amazon, which delivers products within one hour using its Amazon Prime Now service. Continue reading
Zalando has successfully launched Zalando Fulfillment Solutions, which gives fashion brands access to the company’s logistics infrastructure and know-how. Zalando can take over the order fulfillment for partners, from inbound to return. Continue reading
Zalando is ready to conquer the Nordic region. The online fashion platform successfully completed its location search and will open its first Nordic fulfillment center in Sweden later this year. The fulfillment center will be built in Brunna, near Stockholm, and is meant to meet the demand of its customers in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. Continue reading
Parcel service provider GLS has further expanded its international FlexDeliveryService. By adding new countries, FlexDeliveryService is now available in twelve connected countries in Central and Eastern Europe. With the service, online shippers will be informed of scheduled deliveries and can decide when and where they want to take delivery of the parcels. Continue reading
The Swiss company TeleRetail has developed a delivery robot that is designed to cover long distances up to about 80 kilometers. The robot, which is still a prototype, could be used for suburban and rural deliveries. Continue reading
Magento Commerce has launched its own multicarrier solution, called Magento Shipping, which automates shipping and fulfillment for online retailers and brands. With the solution, Magento users get access to regional and international carriers to automate their fulfillment. Continue reading