E-commerce continues to represent a growing chunk of total US retail sales. Representing an average of eight percent of total US retail sales for the first half of 2016 (compared to 7.1% for the... View More

Many years ago, I heard a story that has stuck with me ever since. It went like this: France surprised everyone in the world of sport judo when the French team won several gold medals in the Oly... View More

During the holidays, shipping volumes increase for everyone — not just high-volume e-commerce shippers fulfilling an avalanche of gift orders. Office shippers also see volume increases due to... View More

As the holidays approach and people turn their minds to gift buying, business surges are realized in the distribution center. Many will experience all-time highs, and others will call in a numbe... View More

On September 20, FedEx announced its 2017 general rate increase (GRI). UPS announced its 2017 GRI earlier on September 1. This year’s GRI actually shows the carriers going in different directi... View More

Editor's Note: Did you miss part one of this series? You can view it here. You have created a distribution network plan that incorporates your “go to market” strategy, inventory and logistic

Small parcel shippers understand the nature of the General Rate Increase, and they attempt to mitigate the increase accordingly. We can negotiate a solid contract, but if our understanding and v... View More

We asked the questions, you provided responses. For the fourth consecutive year at the PARCEL Forum, Shipware, LLC conducted a live parcel pricing and benchmarking survey in which 56 shippers re... View More

As almost every shipper knows by now, UPS recently announced it will also be changing its dimensional pricing rules in a not unexpected move closely following a similar change from FedEx. Effect... View More

A third-party logistics provider specializing in consumer electronics products formerly needed 12 to 16 people per day to run one of its shipping lines. Some of those employees used laser-based... View More

It’s that time of year when clients ask me about planning for the holiday shopping season, that period of time between Thanksgiving (this year, November 24 – always a Thursday) and Christmas

Has Netflix suggested a movie or TV show that perfectly matches your tastes? Have you ever purchased an item from Amazon under the category, “Customers who bought this item also bought?”... View More

A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with Rob Martinez and Krish Iyer to discuss the FedEx 2017 rate changes. In the wake of UPS's Friday announcement, I chatted with these experts again to get their take... View More

If you thought the election was 2016’s only November surprise, then take a seat before reading any further. On Friday, United Parcel Service posted its updated rate increases for 2017, and it... View More

The holiday season sees 16% more first-time customers than any other shopping period. That’s an important opportunity for e-commerce providers because positive holiday shopping experiences ca... View More

In the movie Heartbreak Ridge, Clint Eastwood as Gunny Highway says, “You're Marines now. You adapt. You overcome. You improvise.” With more than 40 plus years of seasoned and practical supply... View More

In the wake of FedEx’s recent GRI announcement, which, surprisingly, did not mirror the changes announced by UPS a few weeks prior, I sat down with industry experts Rob Martinez, President & CEO

Mailers and shippers of all sizes need to prepare for record high volumes of shipments during the upcoming 2016 Cyber Season, the heavy shopping and shipping period between Halloween and Christmas Day

Direct store delivery (DSD) has become a standard model for maintaining retail inventory levels of perishable food and beverages or demand frequent restocking for product freshness. The practice... View More

According to the National Retail Federation, non-store holiday sales increased nine percent in 2015. With more increases anticipated in 2016, many retailers are strategizing new ways to handle peak-se