Drive-thru grocery pick-up, or click-and-collect, is gaining ground in France. Before long, this model will likely gain ground in the US, as it is a reasonable last-mile delivery system for low population density areas of the US. These areas do not have enough households per square mile to justify daily home-delivery infrastructure. Plus, click-and-collect solves…
Archives for May 2014
6. Knowing the Unknown: Tacking Through the Demand and Anticipating the Shifts
Predicting and preparing for the future is the hallmark of success. Statisticians have spent entire careers trying to determine optimal production and shipments. Yet perfect forecasts still elude statisticians, and high error rates and incorrect inventory levels are the norm. While no crystal ball has yet emerged, the integration of real time demand data is…
The Internet of Things Needs a Supply Chain of New Ideas
There is no question that consumers have more choices of what to buy than ever before but the choices of how they buy are growing at an even faster pace. Technology has changed the way we shop and it is going to continue to change. What has not changed much over the last 50 years…
Pantry, Dash, Flow…What’s Next for Amazon?
UPDATE: We know what’s next- for now anyways. Check out #AmazonCart, another way Amazon is making it easier for consumers to purchase items with ease. A new partnership with Twitter lets consumers reply to tweets that feature an Amazon product link, using the hashtag #AmazonCart. The new partnership will use the hashtag reply as a signal to…
Groupon Basics to Compete with Club Channel
Groupon announced its newest service, Groupon Basics, last week. The service is moving into a crowded area, as it is designed to compete with Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, etc., plus Amazon’s new Pantry service. Basics offers 120 health, household, and personal care items for bulk purchase, and the company plans to expand to grocery categories in the…
Millennials and Brand Loyalty: Not Necessarily Exclusive
Many commentators have decried the demise of brand loyalty with the rise of the Millennial Generation. As a Millennial, I don’t think they’ve gotten it right. Luckily, my peers have spoken in up in a recent study conducted by Adroit Digital in January 2014. The results found that 64% of Millennials consider themselves to be…
Last Mile Delivery: Amazon Takes the Plunge
The Wall Street Journal reports Amazon is piloting last-mile delivery in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, likely incorporating learnings from Amazon’s established last mile delivery network in the UK. According to Jeff Bezos, this UK network was built because “commercial carriers couldn’t support our peak volumes.” This past Christmas season, Amazon experienced a similar problem with…