Shipping

The U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) reseller program, which has been around since 1992 to offer discounted shipping rates, is about to be shut down and will impact e-commerce sellers at the end of this month. For the uninitiated, USPS resellers act as outsourced sales representatives for the Postal Service that work with some tech providers…

Despite inflation chatter dominating economic discussions, U.S. container imports in August 2022 (the most recent data) were 2,529,042 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which is up 18 percent from pre-pandemic August 2019. This is the first month since August 2020 that there has not been record imports vs. the previous year.  With the holiday shopping season fast…

Lowe’s and Instacart announced that same-day delivery is now available from more than 1,700 Lowe’s stores nationwide. Nearly 30,000 items can be ordered for delivery in as fast as an hour. Lowe’s is one of the first retailers on the Instacart App to roll out same-day and scheduled delivery for large items, up to 3x3x5…

Although the myth of free shipping is a topic often discussed, it seems necessary to reiterate the main takeaway: free shipping isn’t free. Someone always pays the cost for shipping, and frequently that someone is the business. Despite this revelation, brands still implement free shipping to meet ever-growing consumer expectations. Sixty-six percent of customers want free…

UPS announced last week its surcharges for the 2022 peak season, which will impact high-volume shippers expecting elevated home delivery demand during the holidays, reports Supply Chain Dive. Beginning Oct. 30, customers billed for more than 20,000 packages any week after October 2021 will see a “Peak/Demand Surcharge” applied to certain UPS Air Residential, Ground…

While same-day and scheduled delivery options are ideal, they're not without their challenges. Elevated delivery service of any kind takes extra effort, but the results are more than worth it. Some mistakes are unavoidable and many consumers understand that, as roughly 50 percent of shoppers would give a retailer a second chance after a poor…

The U.S. Postal Service filed a notice Wednesday of a temporary price hike for this year’s peak holiday season, which it said would help cover extra handling costs. The agency said the adjustment was approved by its board of governors and is now pending review by the Postal Regulatory Commission. The price increase would go…

To rise above the competition, whether online or in-store, retailers need to ensure their customer experience remains consistent throughout the shopping journey, all the way to the consumer’s front door. Recent reports indicate that “one in three shoppers now expects same-day delivery,” and that “90 percent of consumers now see two- or three-day delivery as the…

These past two years have cemented consumers' behavior of turning to e-commerce for their shopping needs. In fact, it's estimated that 95 percent of all purchases will take place online by 2040. Exceptional customer experiences and speedy fulfillment and distribution are not just lofty goals — they're the expectations of every online shopping experience. However,…

Amazon.com announced on Monday that Prime members in some U.S. metro areas can now get same-day delivery from select retail stores. At launch, members in Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; Las Vegas; Miami; Phoenix; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Seattle; and Washington, D.C. can shop from PacSun, GNC, SuperDry, and Diesel on the Amazon app and Amazon.com and receive their items the…