Out to Launch
Target to test new restock strategy, next-day delivery in Minneapolis. In a quest to get orders into the hands of customers faster than ever, Target is prepping a new delivery and restocking approach that it hopes to pilot in Minneapolis stores.
Flexe’s next-day delivery to help online retailers compete with Amazon. Recently, the on-demand warehousing and fulfilment services company announced a new next-day delivery service, which the company noted is faster than Amazon Prime’s two-day shipping.
LVMH to unveil multi-brand luxury e-commerce site. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA is preparing to unveil a new e-commerce site for Le Bon Marche, its Paris-based department store, according to its new website 24Sevres.com, named after the retailer’s flagship address.
The next frontier for grocery delivery: Hotels. Hunting down the closest grocery store in an unfamiliar city may soon be a thing of the past for consumers, thanks to a partnership between Peapod, Instacart and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
Capsule launches to reinvent the pharmacy, complete with med delivery. If you’ve ever grumbled about long lines at the pharmacy, Capsule wants to save you the trouble next time. The New York-based startup is launching today to offer delivery of prescription meds directly to your doorstep or office in your time of need.
Evri offers new international shipping solution. European logistics service provider Evri has announced a new international shipping solution, aimed at UK-based sole traders and small and medium-sized enterprises. Online retailers with a Evri Business Account can now send their products to cross-border shoppers in 23 European countries.
Industry Skinny
What China reveals about the future of shopping. Imagine being in the middle of Times Square, surrounded by flashing lights, fast-talking vendors, street performers, live music, noisy traffic jams, and endless other distractions. Now imagine you’re online and surrounded by the same energetic chaos. Welcome to China’s digital marketplace, where shopping is an adventure—a fire hose of rapidly changing content, offers, products, colors, and choices. For Western shoppers accustomed to simple, transactional online buying, it’s a culture shock.
Bank of England agents report slower consumer spending, static wage growth. British consumer spending growth is slowing in the face of a marked pick-up in inflation, while businesses are showing no sign of raising pay faster than before, the Bank of England said on Wednesday.
Slow delivery is hurting Australian online retail. Australian businesses are failing to meet consumers’ shipping expectations, according to new research. Currently, only a third of Australian businesses offer next day delivery, with 13% saying they plan to offer next day delivery within the next five years.
Fetchr Raises $41m in Series B Financing. Fetchr, a Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based delivery-business and consumer technology app, raised $41m in Series B financing.
Deliveroo acquires New York-based food delivery firm Maple. Deliveroo has acquired New York-based food delivery firm Maple. As a result of the acquisition, some of Maple’s team will join Deliveroo’s operations in London.
Coach agrees to buy Kate Spade for $2.4 Billion. The deal brings mixed messages to a retail industry that seems poised for more consolidation: Mergers may help companies cope with sluggish store traffic and steep discounting, but takeover targets are unlikely to get big-ticket prices.
The retail apocalypse has officially descended on America. More than 3,500 stores are expected to close in the next couple of months.
Tech Space
DHL taps Alexa to deliver package status updates. DHL Parcel has launched a new skill for Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant app that allows customers to ask Alexa for updates on an expected parcel delivery, according to a company press release.
Loomo go autonomous delivery robot unveiled by Segway. Segway have this week unveiled a new autonomous delivery robot they have created in the form of the Loomo Go which is capable of creating its own 3D and 2D maps to aid navigation in real time.
UPS Tests Residential Delivery via Drone. UPS tested the use of drones for residential delivery for the first time in Tampa, Florida. The company demonstrated an octocopter launching from the roof of a hybrid electric delivery van, making a delivery, then returning to re-dock on the van which had moved to a new location further down the road.
UPS integrates chat-bot to enable delivery information. UPS has integrated its customer-facing chatbot with its UPS My Choice service – which enables customers to reroute parcels that are on the way — allowing its customers to obtain information about planned and received deliveries without providing a tracking number.
A real life, all-electric flying car just took off. Your flying car might finally be on the way as the all-electric, two-seater Lilium Jet took its first test flight this week. Lilium Aviation’s prototype consumes around 90 percent less energy than drone-style aircraft and could be the transportation mode of the future.
Food for Thought
More than half of consumers say the UK customer experience remains disconnected. More than half (53%) of UK consumers believe that UK retailers provide a disconnected shopping experience that does not adequately join online and the store – and 61% say that they would consider changing retailers due to a disconnected shopping experience.
Customers may be getting lazier but the delivery industry has to work harder than ever. In the drive for better delivery convenience, consumers are getting rather lazy. Now – thanks to the integration by a number of carriers – we only need to ask our devices when our packages are to be delivered or whereabouts they are in the delivery process rather than bother clicking on a desktop, tablet or mobile.
5 Ways To Keep Your Online Retail Delivery Competitive. By identifying changing shopper behaviours and pinpointing online retailer performance trends, the industry can learn how best to harness technologies and improve the customer experience by delivering services that are relevant, accessible and convenient.
