Bond raises $15M for last-mile delivery tech

Lightspeed Venture Partners participated in the funding round for the company, which aims to improve the last-mile experience for DTC brands.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Jan. 30, 2020

UPS and Waymo partner on self-driving parcel pickup

As last-mile delivery demand continues to grow, more firms are looking to autonomous vehicles to eventually cut down on costs. 

By Morgan Forde • Jan. 30, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

The state of retail returns

Retailers of all sizes are streamlining operations so customers can have a smooth return experience. 

By Retail Dive staff

Walmart's first Super Bowl ad touts pickup service

The retail giant is heavily promoting its pickup logistics as a growing number of competitors introduce their own services.

By Dianna Christie • Jan. 30, 2020

E-commerce deliveries will overrun cities in 1 to 3 years

The World Economic Forum argues the best path forward is to build portfolios of solutions that improve congestion, emissions and unit cost of deliveries. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 27, 2020

3 retail supply chain fails of 2019 and how to avoid them in 2020

Supply chains struggled with technology integrations in 2019. Experts believe the ability to bounce back from a crisis will be essential for modern managers. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 22, 2020

Belk harnesses AI to manage inventory

As the department store used SAS Analytics to square orders with demand, margins improved, Vice President Tim Carney said at the NRF's Big Show.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 16, 2020

Amazon lets third-party sellers use FedEx Ground for Prime shipments after ban

The decision comes after Amazon removed the option for sellers to ship with FedEx Ground and Home over concerns about late holiday shipments.

By Morgan Forde • Jan. 16, 2020

H&M's AI operation helps make its supply chain more sustainable

With precisely honed demand forecasts, supply chains can use only the resources they need and no more.

By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 15, 2020

New research exposes a gap in retailer-brand partnerships — and how to fix it

How both retailers and brands can get more out of their co-ops with data.

By Sarah Travis and Julie Eddleman • Jan. 14, 2020

Court rules Walmart must pay drivers $54.6M for layover, break time

The drivers filed a class-action suit seeking back pay for time spent in layover, on break or in inspections.

By Matt Leonard • Jan. 9, 2020

'Tis the season to return things. But it doesn't have to be

E-commerce product returns have a harmful impact on the environment and business margins. ThreeKit President Joachim Klein asks why retailers aren't trying harder to prevent them.

By Joachim Klein • Jan. 3, 2020

UPS predicts 1.9M returns on Jan. 2

Returns are forecast to be up 26% over last year, with the logistics provider anticipating that National Returns Day will mark its seventh consecutive record.

By Kaarin Moore • Dec. 27, 2019

Does anyone benefit from Amazon's shipping restrictions on third-party sellers?

The e-commerce giant announced in mid-December that sellers can no longer use FedEx Ground or Home to fulfill Prime orders.

By Caroline Jansen • Dec. 27, 2019

2019 holiday returns could reach $41.6B

Optimizing the returns process is especially important for categories like apparel, where the value of goods depreciates quickly, a CBRE report finds.

By Matt Leonard • Dec. 23, 2019

Fastest retailers fulfill orders in fewer than 2 days

A recent test on Cyber Monday found 64% of retailers were able to deliver an entire order within one week.

By Lisa Rowan • Dec. 20, 2019

Amazon expands its free return policy

The e-commerce giant will accept label- and box-free returns on select items at more than 5,800 locations, reducing the number of pickups for drivers.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 19, 2019

Consumers' common return reason? Wrong color, size or fit

One-third of consumers don't find the returns process to be easy, leaving room for improvement from retailers, a Narvar report found.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 18, 2019

Amazon bans third-party sellers from using FedEx Ground to ship Prime orders

The e-commerce giant cited a "decline in performance" across FedEx Ground and Home services, blaming the carrier for delivery delays this peak season, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

By Morgan Forde • Dec. 17, 2019

Walgreens, Kroger form group purchasing organization

The "Retail Procurement Alliance," aims to better position the two retailers against larger competitors by giving them greater buying power.

By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 16, 2019

Amazon Logistics parcel volume will surpass UPS and FedEx by 2022

Morgan Stanley estimates Amazon is delivering roughly 46% of the items ordered through its U.S. site today — a total of 2.5 billion parcels in 2019. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 16, 2019

Package deal: What holiday delivery can tell us about the future of retail

Cyber Monday was the biggest shopping day on record in the United States. But someone has to deliver all those products. 

By Kaarin Moore • Dec. 16, 2019

Trump cancels Dec. 15 China tariffs

The cancellation of tariffs on $120 billion worth of goods was anticipated, given its timing close to the holiday season and the large number of consumer products the list targeted.

By Shefali Kapadia • Dec. 13, 2019

Big cities, rural areas could experience high holiday package delays

About 9% of deliveries nationwide are projected to be late, according to a LateShipment.com report, with that figure spiking to 16.5% in some areas.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 11, 2019

Ikea teams up with tech company to reduce reverse logistics waste

The retailer will partner with Optoro to use data analytics and machine-learning algorithms to route returned and excess inventory to optimal locations. 

By Morgan Forde • Dec. 11, 2019

Walmart launches autonomous delivery in Houston

Through a partnership with Nuro, the retailer will deliver groceries to a select group of shoppers in the coming months before expanding to the public. 

By Krishna Thakker • Dec. 10, 2019