Out to Launch:

ASOS launches same-day delivery in the UK. ASOS on Wednesday announced it is bringing swifter fulfillment options to London. Retail Dive

Amazon Prepping Direct-to-Trunk, In-Home Delivery? Last-mile delivery seems to be cooling down. Literally. Progressive Grocer

Department of Post launches cross-border delivery service for the ecommerce sector. The government of India has launched the International Tracked Packet service, which will provide cross-border shipping for the e-commerce sector in the Asia-Pacific region. MEDIANAMA

Amazon and Big Apartment Landlords Strike Deals on Package Delivery. Amazon is taking over the package rooms of some of the country’s largest apartment landlords, in a move that could help consolidate its control over how goods make it from the warehouse floor to the front door. WSJ

Parcelforce Worldwide launches new tools to keep customers better informed. The company has launched a new app and live tracking capabilities for customers. eDelivery

High Noon.com: Battle for Saudi e-commerce market begins. In Saudi Arabia, a kingdom where postal codes are rarely used, most people pay in cash, and shopping is done in giant air-conditioned malls, building an online retail business is no easy task. Nasdaq

AusPost moves into Amazon territory with ‘free’ online delivery. Australia Post has launched one of its most significant delivery programs in recent years, Shipster, ahead of the arrival of internet juggernaut Amazon. SMH

Industry Skinny:

Online retail sales to soar past $1 trillion by 2027. Online retail sales in the U.S. are expected to surge past $1 trillion in 2027, up from an anticipated $445 billion in 2017, translating to a compounded annual growth rate of 9% over the next decade, according to the 2017 U.S. Online Retail Forecast from FTI Consulting. Retail Dive

UK click and collect usage higher than European peers. UK shoppers are ahead of their European counterparts when it comes to click and collect usage with more than half (54%) having used a click and collect service in the last year, according to new YouGov research. eDelivery

Belgian postal service buys fulfillment specialist Radial for $820M. Radial, the e-commerce fulfillment company once part of eBay, has been acquired by Belgian postal service operator bpost for about $820 million, the companies announced this week. Retail Dive

UK shoppers expect free delivery for orders over £10. Online consumers from the United Kingdom aren’t unenthusiastic about paying for delivery, if the fee isn’t too high. Ecommerce News

CollectPlus hits 100 millionth parcel milestone. CollectPlus, the UK-based delivery and returns service, has announced that it has reached its 100 millionth parcel milestone. Retail Systems

An Amazon-Walgreens showdown is just around the corner. Wall Street is buzzing with talk that Amazon soon will swoop down on the $460 billion prescription drug business — an entry that would pit the online powerhouse against locally based drugstore kingpin Walgreens Boots Alliance. Chicago Tribune

bpost acquires Radial, formerly eBay enterprise, for $820M. The global e-commerce race — and how it is underpinned by logistics, delivery and economies of scale — continues to heat up. Tech Crunch

Tech Space:

IBM is using the blockchain to speed up and simplify cross-border payments. The blockchain has long been seen as a method to quicken (and cheapen) cross-border payments, and now that movement — which includes a number of startups making moves privately — just got its highest profile advocate after IBM announced its own solution focused on banks.

DHL’s mail robot carries heavy loads and frees up the hands of delivery workers. Delivery giant DHL has invested a great deal of time and money in developing delivery drones, and over the last few years has run several trials targeting isolated communities on small islands and in mountainous regions. Digital Trends

Amazon’s Scanning Technology for Package Delivery. Have you heard about Amazon’s scanning technology capable of scanning the homes down below its delivery drone so that it can properly deliver that awesome new gadget you just purchased on Amazon? Data and Privacy Insider

UPS technology speeds training for holiday workers. UPS has unveiled two innovative technologies that will ease and accelerate training for many of the nearly 95,000 seasonal workers the company will hire to help manage increased package volume during this year’s holiday shopping season. Global Trade Mag

Boeing HorizonX makes first investment in autonomous technologies. Boeing and Pittsburgh-based Near Earth Autonomy have also entered into a partnership to explore future products and applications for emerging markets, including urban mobility. The Engineer

Food for Thought:     

Think like a native to succeed in cross-border e-commerce retail. Online shoppers are increasingly likely to ‘go global’ in their search for purchases, leaving retailers to address their cross border e-commerce capabilities if they don’t want to lose out to marketplaces. Diginomica

Facebook’s ‘Order Food’ feature officially launches across the US. Facebook today formally announced its new feature that allows users to order food from local restaurants using its app. Tech Crunch

Will handsome, white-gloved delivery men help JD gain an edge over rival Alibaba in luxury sales? Both online giants are going out of their way to grab market share in the luxury sector, but analysts say it will be difficult for them to shrug of their ‘grass roots DNA’ SCMP