Operations & Fulfillment

Retailers have spent years and billions of dollars on digital expansion, prioritizing e-commerce, marketplaces, and social commerce to be where their customers shop. And that investment might be paying off as a brand’s omnichannel presence strengthens consumer confidence. Recent Radial research found that 39 percent of consumers say they trust a brand more when it's…

Every earnings season brings another wave of headlines attributing retail and fulfillment gains to artificial intelligence. Stock prices react, press releases multiply, and retailers are told that a new era of automation has arrived. Yet a closer look at what's actually being described often reveals something less revolutionary: optimization logic, routing rules, and automated decisioning…

Faster delivery is becoming an expensive promise to keep. It became a default expectation, but rising delivery costs, high return volumes, and tariff uncertainty are reshaping inventory plans. The National Retail Federation's latest estimate puts holiday returns at about 17 percent of sales, on top of nearly $850 billion in merchandise returned industry-wide annually. Growing…

Until recently, product labels have told only a fraction of a product's story. A country of origin, a few care instructions, and perhaps a sustainability logo. However, regulators, consumers, and business partners now expect far more information on packaging, such as: Where raw materials were sourced. How products were manufactured. What environmental impact they created.…

Investment in warehouse automation has moved from experimentation to a genuine spending priority for retailers racing to meet delivery expectations. Roughly 4.7 million commercial robots are expected to be installed across more than 50,000 warehouses worldwide by the end of 2026, according to recent warehouse automation research. And the automation market is on pace to…

Retailers have spent the last decade investing heavily in customer experience. They've optimized websites, refined mobile journeys, embraced personalization, and invested in CRM platforms to better understand their customers. Collectively, these efforts have transformed how people discover and buy products online. However, while businesses have become increasingly sophisticated at winning the sale, many still underestimate…

Peak season planning is always a combination of in-depth modeling, informed assumptions and, most importantly, gutfeel guesswork. This year, the ground under those guesses has shifted more than usual. Our quarterly Commerce Signal analysis, drawn from live activity across more than 4,900 U.S. supply chain operators moving 485 million orders a year, points to three…

As shippers and retailers get ready for peak season, most preparation focuses on what retailers can control directly, such as inventory, forecasting, capacity planning, and staffing. However, retailers shipping internationally should also be stress-testing the partner they’re handing those shipments off to. This is where visibility is often lower, and issues can surface that directly…

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will levy a 6 percent average rate hike for several package shipping services during the 2026 peak season, according to an agency filing Tuesday. The temporary holiday rate hikes, which are pending review from the Postal Regulatory Commission, would impact retail and commercial USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, Priority Mail…

The Home Depot has announced the nationwide rollout of its Express Delivery program, bringing rapid fulfillment to customers for a small flat fee in U.S. markets, without the need for a subscription or membership. Customers can get essential items in three hours or less, including materials and supplies for pro construction projects. Shoppers can view…