With all but essential stores closed in many parts of the country, e-commerce sales have increased, particularly for items people can use in their homes, such as games, sports, and fitness equ... View More
In a matter of weeks, the entire world went virtual. Every industry’s supply chain was upended as they scrambled to figure out how to support everything from shelter-in-place orders to getti... View More
The coronavirus has caused major disruptions in the global economy and significant chaos for the people of China. It has been encouraging to see how the people of world have responded in their attempt
Why did e-commerce take off in the US years before it did in other countries? Three reasons: 1) A high percentage of US consumers have credit cards. 2) Rich ecosystem of banking... View More
Prisoners on bread and water get just the minimum to stay alive. For whatever reason, their wardens won’t simply kill them, but they won’t restore them to health, either. The current way
The COVID-19 crisis has significantly disrupted the normal demand patterns which dictate supply chain decisions -- across distribution, manufacturing, and raw material procurement. Since these... View More
During 2019, three PARCEL Counsel columns focused on the most commonly used terms of sale for transactions within the United States: F.O.B. Origin and F.O.B. Destination. They may be found on the PARC
The shipping docks are clogged with arriving containers. Warehouses are overflowing with goods that cannot be exported due to a lack of trucks and drivers. Factories are idle because the neces... View More
The shipping industry is in the midst of a digital revolution, and while that has certainly changed many aspects of the field, contract negotiations are still as straightforward as ever, at le... View More
How fast is fast? In the last-mile delivery world, fast can mean a huge competitive advantage (think Amazon). Alternative delivery locations are beneficial, but various studies suggest that ho... View More
In its second annual “Small Business Impact Report,” Amazon noted that it has helped more than 1.9 million US-based small and medium-sized businesses generate more than $160 billion in 2018.... View More
Today’s UPS and FedEx contracts are more complicated and difficult to negotiate than ever before. Before we address the major issues affecting your carrier contracts and how you can success... View More
Consumers today are weighing different factors in their purchasing decisions. In order to attract and retain loyal customers, brands must understand what those factors are and meet demand acco... View More
The small-parcel market just continues to grow, and this growth can present new challenges and opportunities for shippers. Navigating the ever-increasing number of surcharges and fees while simultaneo
If you’re like most retailers, you’ll do close to 40 percent of your business in Q4. And that number will probably grow: e-commerce sales during the 2019 holiday season rose 18.8 perce... View More
Almost every company has done it: sent a package that was larger than it needed to be and ended up paying the price in the form of dimensional weight surcharges. (As a refresher, dimensional w... View More
Turnover of your staff and associates is one of the most detrimental events in the distribution center. When someone quits, you lose the domain knowledge, procedural knowledge, and the l... View More
So much attention is paid to understanding the complexities of carrier agreements that companies, especially resource-constrained small and midsized businesses, often overlook simple best prac... View More
While the answer to the question posed in the title is technically “yes,” it is not as definitive as you may think. Guaranteed services are overvalued, overused, and result in unnecessary
As the impact of COVID-19 continues to evolve, the world is beginning to understand the potential impact of the pandemic from a business perspective. While the full financial impact of a global reduct
