Amazon Books: The Online Retailer is Getting Physical

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 a bust? According to The Wall Street Journal, this attempt “is a reversal from Amazon’s roots as a pure online retailer” and contradicts one of their core strategies: “to challenge the limited inventory of physical stores, which typically don’t stock rare, older or less fashionable books”. Books sold at the store will be set at the same price as online, and inventory will be decided based on sales on its…

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 goods. The trucking industry, which is highly fragmented, has been exceedingly dependent upon third-party brokers connecting customers with truckers, but with the age of technology upon us, the industry may shift. One of the first companies to enter this realm, Trucker Path Inc., has stated that it is intending to reach $1 billion in value by 2016. Convoy, a more recent startup based out of Seattle has amassed $2.5 million…

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 of locally grown or produced food. This trend was once widely viewed as a flash in the pan a few years ago, but is now gaining wider attention by the grocery industry as preferences for local food increase and demand heightens. In fact, in the article Ripe for Grocers: The Local Food Movement which details the results of the survey, it states that “Sales of local food have increased an…

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 out of the air before they accumulate on products or machines.  More importantly, this new solution provides a healthy air climate for ES3 employees, and is sustainable, as the system’s motors are highly energy-efficient. To read the full case study on Modern Materials Handling, click here.

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 directly with the local merchants.  Customers can check out as usual online with their preferred retailer, and then select “UberRUSH” as their delivery method.  The technology then creates an order for the merchant to fulfill, and an Uber courier picks up the item to deliver to the customer.  As in the Uber ride service, customers receive an alert when the order is on its way, and when it has been delivered….

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, a valid driver’s license, an Android phone, and is able to pass a background check can deliver packages for the online retail giant. ­ The service pays its contractors $18 and $25 per hour and is named for the flexibility in scheduling it provides for drivers. Workers can choose any available 2, 4, or 8 hour shifts 7 days a week, giving them a consistent flow of work. The website…

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 to access accurate, detailed and consistent information about nutrition, ingredients, allergens, product advisories, and brand information in a simple, digital format.” This initiative has been designed and built in collaboration with retailers and data consolidators to ensure that robust, complete, and accurate information can flow seamlessly between data recipients. For more detail, GMA will be holding four information sessions via webinars on 10/21, 10/23, 10/26 and 10/27 from 1 PM to…

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 its hometown of Minneapolis, MN. Customers in certain areas of the city will be able to order personal care items, pet products, food, and a range of other grocery products online and have them delivered in as little as an hour’s time using Instacart. With this deal, as well as other moves, Target hopes to capitalize on the growing online grocery market, which is estimated to reach $18 billion 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 retailers and independent contractors, Instacart has found a way to offer busy shoppers the ability to obtain groceries with little mark up in price without even leaving the house. According to Forbes, Instacart is number one on the list of America’s most promising companies, all thanks to their ability to meet the needs of consumers that have never been met before. We are entering an era where consumers don’t want…

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 world to get materials and goods from here to there. Other than the mode of transport though, logistics remained rather stagnant until about 20 or so years ago. Since then, the evolution of technology, the internet, e-commerce, omni-channel logistics, and ever emerging and changing consumer markets have created a tangled and complex web of the supply chain. In that dynamic environment, third party logistics companies, or 3PLs, evolved, expanded, and…

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