In an effort to sell more books, Amazon, the king of online retail, has opened its first brick-and-mortar store in its hometown of Seattle. Located in a mall near the University of Washington, the outlet has been dubbed Amazon Books. Amazon getting physical is a curious move, will it pay off or will it be…
Startups Aiming to Become the “Uber of Trucking”
According to The Wall Street Journal, the $700 billion industry that is commercial trucking is beginning to experience change as startups enter the playing field. Leveraging truck drivers’ smartphones, several startups, which are receiving millions of dollars from investors, aspire to become an “Uber of Trucking” by connecting drivers with nearby companies seeking to ship…
Lo•ca•vore – a person whose diet consists of locally grown food
A study published by A.T. Kearney surveyed over 1,000 people about their preferences in regards to locally grown food and large grocery chains. The results of the study indicated that the new Locavore trend is growing, and is showing no sign of slowing down. A Locavore is a person whose diet consists partially or entirely…
A Breath of Fresh Air in ES3 York
ES3’s clean air system installation was recently recognized by Modern Materials Handling. The system, which has reduced dust by 80%, garnered immediate positive feedback from employees and customers alike. ES3 partnered with Zehnder Clean Air Solutions to install 12 new air filtration systems in the warehouse. The 12 systems filter dust, bacteria, and other particles…
Last Mile Update: HorseFly and UberRUSH
Innovation has been fast and furious in the last-mile delivery sector lately, and shows no signs of letting up. Uber recently announced a new service, UberRUSH, which offers same-day delivery of local products. This service is similar to many others on the market, including Postmates, but Uber has taken the step of integrating its platform…
Amazon Launches Uber-esque Service: Amazon Flex
Amazon is looking to “build the future of delivery” with the launch of its new service, Amazon Flex. The idea behind Amazon’s newest endeavor is hiring regular, everyday folks as independent contractors to deliver packages for its Prime Now customers, similar to Uber’s transportation service. Anyone who is at least 21 years with a car,…
Smart Label Initiative Webinars
The Smart Label Initiative from GMA is officially launching this fall. In a press release from Pamela G. Bailey, the new program is described as our “industry’s response to consumers’ growing desire for additional information about the products they use and consume. SmartLabel™ is the consumer-facing piece of this initiative, which will allow the shopper…
Target adds Instacart, Instacart adds Target
Target has just announced a partnership with Instacart in order to take part in one of the fastest growing areas of the food business: online groceries. According to Fortune, the second-largest general merchandise retailer in the U.S. will be teaming up with the startup to test the waters of grocery delivery in a pilot in…
Instacart: Consumers, Stay Home!
Instacart, the startup which launched in 2012, offers shoppers the ability to eliminate trips to the grocery store by pairing independent contract drivers with online shoppers. The personal food shopping service provides delivery from brick-and-mortar grocery stores to consumers’ homes within a one to two hour window from the time of purchase. Leveraging partnerships with…
3PL: An Evolution
A look back at the evolution of logistics is an interesting one. Defined as “the management of materials flow through an organization, from raw materials through to finished goods”, logistics had been relatively unchanged for hundreds of years. Civilizations moved boxes, put products on ships, cars, trucks, trains and planes, and traveled all over the…