Logistics

Ahead of Black Friday, retailers brace for online returns

Companies have been proactive in preparing for a season where e-commerce is king. Will it be enough? Seven experts weigh in.

By Caroline Jansen • Nov. 25, 2020

Walmart adds to its last-mile arsenal with acquisition of startup assets

The retailer will purchase select properties, including talent and technology, from peer-to-peer delivery firm JoyRun.

By Jeff Wells • Nov. 24, 2020

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Retail supply chain

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By Retail Dive staff

With relatively few stores, Amazon touts holiday pickup options

The e-commerce giant is suddenly at something of a disadvantage as fulfillment promptness remains a worry.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 23, 2020

La-Z-Boy manufacturing comeback stunted by raw materials shortage

Low supply of an essential component affected the entire furniture industry and led to stockouts during a period when furniture demand was up.

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 20, 2020

Simon malls to serve as drop-off return locations

With a heavily online holiday season ahead, the mall owner has partnered with Narvar to accept returns from about two dozen brands.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 19, 2020

Joann rolls out BOPIS tech that identifies order pickup time

The retailer introduced technology that gives a customer ETA on pickups and prioritizes fulfillment based on those arrival times.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 18, 2020

Best Buy taps Instacart for same-day deliveries

The platform will now also guarantee high-priced purchases delivered from the retailer.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 17, 2020

Amazon expands in-garage delivery to 4K cities

The company is also adding grocery options in five cities, which allows Prime members to receive orders from Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh to their garage.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 16, 2020

The implications of shipping direct to consumer

On top of high costs, fast and free delivery expectations, and returns, brands also put customer retention at risk by forfeiting control over the last mile.

By Caroline Jansen • Nov. 16, 2020

Walmart adds 'pop-up' e-commerce distribution centers for the holidays

The model provides flexibility, allowing the retailer to increase capacity when it's experiencing peak-level volume and scale down when demand dissipates.

By Matt Leonard • Nov. 13, 2020

Walmart taps self-driving vehicle startup Cruise for autonomous deliveries

The collaboration is part of the mass merchant's effort to modernize deliveries and lessen environmental impact.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 12, 2020

Nuro nets $500M in new funding

The autonomous delivery company is planning on a commercial rollout of its fully self-driving vehicle in the coming months. 

By Jeff Wells • Nov. 11, 2020

Delays, surcharges and returns: Holiday shipping headaches have just begun

In a season expected to produce more than $190 billion from online sales alone, retailers are pulling out all the stops to keep up with demand.

By Caroline Jansen • Nov. 09, 2020

Amazon releases Dash Smart Shelf for consumers, small businesses

The smart shelf reordering system was released last year to aid independent companies, but may be useful to individuals seeking to make fewer store trips.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 05, 2020

Walmart ends aisle-scanning robot contract

The retailer is no longer working with Bossa Nova Robotics, reversing course on plans to roll out the company's shelf-scanning machines to 1,000 stores.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Nov. 03, 2020

Sam's Club taps DoorDash for same-day prescription delivery

Retailers are increasingly relying on third-party delivery platforms as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 02, 2020

Last-mile tech firm Onfleet raises $14M as interest surges in delivery services

The company, which provides software to help retailers manage drivers and communications with customers, will use the funds to support expansion.

By Sam Silverstein • Nov. 02, 2020

Walmart launches new test stores to further blend tech and in-store ops

The prototype locations will allow the retailer to quickly experiment with ways to make fulfillment more efficient and move in-store inventory online. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 29, 2020

Postmates signals bigger retail ambitions with shopping service catered to local merchants

Debuting ahead of the holidays, a new "Shop" tab shows a selection of items that users can order for delivery, in-store pickup or curbside pickup.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 28, 2020

7-Eleven adds delivery providers as small-basket e-commerce accelerates

The c-store now works with seven third-party services, including Uber Eats and Grubhub, and has seen daily delivery orders quadruple this year.

By Sam Silverstein • Oct. 26, 2020

Macy's introduces virtual, in-person stylist appointments for the holidays

Gifting experts will be available to help shoppers in a year where many events have gone virtual, including the department store's iconic parade.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 23, 2020

Retailers face operational, logistical hurdles in pandemic-driven switch to ship from store

Companies scrambled to change their fulfillment operations as open stores figured out ways to get their inventory to online shoppers.

By Matt Leonard • Oct. 21, 2020

FedEx, Happy Returns partner on 'return bars,' streamline reverse logistics

Happy Returns has quadrupled its number of drop off locations with the addition of more than 2,000 FedEx Office locations.

By A.B. Brown • Oct. 21, 2020

Study: Over one-third of shoppers experience 'substantial' shipping delays

Making the delivery and returns process more convenient could help retailers win customer loyalty, according to a report from Narvar.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 19, 2020

Nordstrom expands online order pickup to Rack stores

The retailer will offer fulfillment services at its off-price stores and hire 22,000 holiday staffers ahead of a season expected to be more online than ever.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 19, 2020