Out to Launch:
Amazon enters South-east Asia with launch of Prime Now fast delivery service in Singapore. American e-commerce giant Amazon has made its first foray into South-east Asia with the much-anticipated launch of its fast delivery service Prime Now in Singapore on Thursday (July 27). Straitstimes
Kenya’s rail freight service closer to launch with delivery of 78 rail vehicles. Kenya Railways has received 18 freight locomotives and 60 wagons to run cargo services on its new standard gauge railway. Global Rail News
VIDEO: Tesco ramps up same day grocery delivery. Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, is extending its same day online grocery delivery service across the whole of the country, ratcheting up competition in the cut-throat supermarket sector. Reuters
Walmart launches Easy Reorder feature combining stores and online purchases. US giant Walmart has launched an Easy Reorder feature that combines the shopping history of customers both instore and online to allow them to reorder previously bought goods. eDelivery
Target’s next-day essentials delivery service opens to customers in pilot test. Target announced this morning it’s opening to consumers a new, next-day home-delivery service called Target Restock. Tech Crunch
UPS boosts Saturday operations to increase e-Commerce delivery speed. UPS for the first time offers Saturday ground delivery and Saturday pickup services, delivering shippers industry-leading Saturday choices. UPS
VIDEO: This Alibaba-owned supermarket has digitized the entire shopping experience. Alibaba
Amazon launches ‘The Hub’, parcel delivery lockers for apartment buildings. Today, Amazon quietly unveiled a new service called The Hub, lockers designed to be installed in multi-tenant dwellings so that residents can receive bulky packages and pick them up at flexible times. Tech Crunch
Industry Skinny:
Hotel Chocolat annual sales beats expectations. Hotel Chocolat’s new store format and products has boosted the specialist retailer’s full year sales, with the results beating expectations. Retail Gazette
Express two man delivery firm Unit Movements opens new distribution centre in Bristol. The unit will be used to sevice an IKEA home delivery contract the company has won for the south west. eDelivery
Why the US Post Office gives Amazon special delivery. A Citigroup analysis finds each box gets a $1.46 subsidy. It’s like a gift card from Uncle Sam. Postal Times
Retailers increasingly focusing on customer driven supply chain, according to new report. Successful retailers need to focus on five key areas, most of which exploit the benefits of a customer driven supply chain, according to a new report from LCP Consulting. eDelivery
Whistl opens new super depot. Delivery management company Whistl has opened a new Bolton super depot which is based on the Logistics North development by Junction 4 of the M61. eDelivery
Amazon ropes in local shops to improve last-mile delivery. Online shopping portal Amazon.in has launched a programme ‘I Have Space’ (IHS) for store owners. Business Line
ASOS e-commerce success continues even as Amazon looms large. For the four months to 30 June, ASOS revenues were up by 32% to £660 million. Diginomica
In Japan Push, JD.com Expands Logistics Partnership with Yamato, Launches Flagship Stores for Three Leading Japanese Brands. E-commerce giant JD.com, Inc., China’s largest retailer, announced the signing of a strategic MOU with Japan’s Yamato Group, one of Asia’s leading logistics companies. JD Corporate
Tech Space:
Drone delivery could soon be coming to Dubai. People in the UAE could soon receive their online shopping via autonomous drone delivery service if everything goes according to the plan. Entrepreneur
Jet.com is installing Latch access systems in 1,000 NYC apartment buildings for easier deliveries. Jet, the online retailer bought by Walmart last year, has struck a deal with smart access provider Latch in an effort to make deliveries easier for its customers in urban areas. Tech Crunch
Pioneering driverless Kar-Go delivery vehicle to reach UK roads in 2018. British start-up company has raised £321,000 to fund its driverless cargo van, which is claimed to cut ‘last-mile’ delivery costs by 90%. AutoCar
An interview with Ahti Heinla of Starship Technologies. Starship’s bots have been pegged by the NY Times as “a glimpse of the future”. Standing at two feet tall, weighing 40 pounds and travelling at just 4mph, Starship’s autonomous six-wheeled ground-delivery bots are set to revolutionise local delivery. Tharsus
DHL starts to deploy electric motorcycles for B2C e-commerce delivery in Vietnam. DHL eCommerce has already begun deploying the use of electric motorbikes in its domestic delivery operations in Vietnam. E27
Food for Thought:
Last mile: The amazing race to solve the delivery dilemma. While the consumer has voted that omnichannel is their new normal for how to shop and purchase, both retailers and e-tailers are still scrambling on how to make all of this work and still generate a profit. Retail Customer Experience
The accelerating disruption of China’s economy. In late 2012, two of China’s most successful entrepreneurs made a very public bet on the country’s retail future… Fortune
The real cost of convenience. The $5 billion meal delivery market is exploding with options but profits can be elusive. Retail Dive
What Amazon Prime Day tells us about mobile app loyalty. Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale once again gave it its “biggest day ever” last week. Computer World
