Shipping
August 27, 2020 at 7:33 pm
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss Total Retail’s latest research report, How to Make Free Shipping Profitable. The report is the compilation of a 10-part article series that Total Retail published on the topic earlier this year. The report is intended to educate retailers on how…
August 26, 2020 at 3:14 pm
The dramatic shift toward e-commerce has sparked experimentation at Best Buy stores and inspired a new strategy that will turn some of them into hubs for online fulfillment, CNBC reported. Corie Barry, Best Buy CEO, said the retailer will start testing a ship-from-store pilot program. Although all Best Buy stores ship online orders, this program…
August 19, 2020 at 11:52 am
With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the temporary closure of nonessential retail stores, as well as the permanent shuttering of a number of other stores in the wake of a record number of retail bankruptcies, the gradual trend of consumers opting to shop online has been accelerated. Consider that total U.S. online sales reached $73.2 billion…
August 17, 2020 at 8:50 am
Last Friday, the U.S. Postal Service announced temporary price increases effective Oct. 18, 2020 through Dec. 27, 2020. Increases are quite significant, as follows: Parcel Select (DDU entry): Up to 7.5 percent Parcel Select (DSCF entry): Up to 9.1 percent Parcel Select (DNDC entry): Up to 6.7 percent Parcel Return Service: Up to 7.9 percent…
August 11, 2020 at 3:59 pm
Walmart is partnering with Instacart to offer same-day grocery delivery starting in a few U.S. markets, making it the latest major retail chain to team up with the grocery delivery service in the fight against Amazon.com and Whole Foods. The partnership between Walmart and Instacart is currently in a pilot phase in three California markets — Los…
August 10, 2020 at 5:27 pm
Amazon.com is in discussions with mall owner Simon Property Group about using some closed J.C. Penney and Sears stores in its malls for fulfillment centers, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The talks have been ongoing for months, the sources said. “For Amazon, more fulfillment centers near residential areas would speed up the crucial last mile of delivery,”…
July 28, 2020 at 3:08 pm
The U.S. Postal Service announced a loyalty program designed to help smaller businesses, according to a press release obtained by Total Retail. Registered business users of USPS Click-N-Ship will earn credits by purchasing postal products they're already using for their shipping needs. Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express postage purchased online through Click-N-Ship will generate…
July 9, 2020 at 5:33 pm
As of November 2019, all three major carriers — USPS, FedEx, and UPS — now offer flat-rate shipping options. This begs two questions: One, should you be using flat-rate shipping? And if so, which carrier’s flat-rate shipping options should you choose and when? Below are some of the pros and cons of using flat-rates shipping,…
July 7, 2020 at 5:05 pm
Thanks to its dominance, Amazon.com is shaping consumer expectations for fast, free order fulfillment that other retailers struggle to meet. However, retailers can fight back by focusing on crucial service offerings and tapping consumer misgivings about Amazon to present a viable alternative. A new survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers conducted by Austin, Texas-based delivery experience…
June 10, 2020 at 6:52 pm
Cross-border shipping rates will go up for many U.S. shippers on July 1. This change comes after countries began to self-declare postal rates based on the deal reached by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in September, Supply Chain Dive reported. Many postage sellers, consolidators and other cross-border service providers such as FedEx, UPS and Stamps.com, received new contracts from…
