Brenda Hambleton Receives Physical Internet Pioneer Award

Brenda Hambleton, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at ES3, recently received the Pioneer Award at the Second International Physical Internet Conference in Paris, France. This award is given to an individual in recognition of the groundbreaking support he or she has provided of the Physical Internet initiative. The Physical Internet provides a global framework for collaboration, enabling scale and cost-savings.  Designed to incorporate learnings from how packaged bits of data flow on the internet, the Physical Internet connects logistics systems through shared resources, collaboratively handling, storing, and transporting goods.  Inventory is stored close to end users, shortening response times and increasing service levels.  All users leverage the same platform, reducing costs and infrastructure. “I feel very honored to receive this award from the second annual…

Borders Co-founder to Launch Same-day Delivery using Automation

According to the tech news site Re/code, entrepreneur Louis Borders is developing a subscription based same-day delivery service that delivers products from partnering retailers on the same day they are ordered. His mission may seem recycled, but his vision has potential to be a game changer.  Borders, who is not only the co-founder the Borders bookstore chain, has tried his hand at same-day delivery once before with Webvan during the original dot-com boom in the late 90s. Webvan expanded too much and too fast causing the company to lose profitability and eventually shut down in 2001. This time around, however, Borders has a plan for profitability, and with any luck, success. His idea and vision is the implementation of a robotic warehousing system which would…

Amazon’s Dash Buttons: Convenience of the Future

Originally announced on March 31st, Amazon’s Dash Buttons were first thought to be an April Fool’s joke; however, the one-touch purchase gadgets are very much real and are now available for purchase.  Released within the past week, the buttons, which are physical Wi-Fi enabled devices, allow users to order popular household items from certain brands such Tide, Bounty, Cottonelle, Gillette, and many more (a list of all available buttons can be found at the end of this post). The purpose of the Dash Buttons is to allow consumers to conveniently reorder products from popular brands like groceries, toilet paper, paper towels, detergent, diapers, personal care items, and even pet supplies.  The actual button can either be hung on a wall or hook or can be…

Startup Handpick offers delivery service “Smart Groceries”

Handpick, a recent startup based out of California, first began as a recipe-recommendation app for smartphone users. According to The Next Web, the application, which is available on iOS, offers users recipes based on ingredients already in their possession.  Now, the company joins the fray of new businesses and traditional grocers that are attempting to revolutionize the way that consumers purchase and receive their groceries. Handpick’s solution is the introduction of Smart Groceries—a meal delivery service that is subscription free and reasonably priced. Smart Groceries includes five different meal bundles, each with its own theme and price. Offerings range from $40 to $96 and consist of assortments such as gluten-free, vegetarian, and several others. As explained by the Handpick CEO, Payman Nejati, “We looked at…

The Need for Big Data reaches Grocery

With consumer behavior becoming more erratic than ever, data analytics are crucial for future success in the grocery industry. According to a recent article on brick meets click, grocers need to catch up with other retail sectors and embrace analytical tools that offer both cost savings and the benefits of knowing their customers. Using analytics, grocers can severely reduce their marketing budgets by incorporating digital strategies aimed at individual households. These tactics could include sending digital coupons and targeted email campaigns. In order to effectively attain these cost savings, traditional grocers must establish digital relationships with customers, collect purchase information, and segment customers based on value. Being able to know customers purchase habits, preferences, and anticipate future needs is an indispensable benefit as well.  Using…

ES3 & Partners Tour Amazon’s Chattanooga DC

Last week, ES3 and nearly 20 more Partners and/or industry friends toured Amazon’s Chattanooga fulfillment centers.  This facility stores small and medium sortable items; basically any item that can fit into one of Amazon’s bright yellow totes.  Product is unloaded, and cases are emptied into totes for “stowing,” or put-away in the 1.2 million sq. ft. distribution center.  Items are put away using Amazon’s chaotic storage method, meaning items can be stowed anywhere there is an empty spot on the shelf.  Eliminating slotting, according to the chaotic school of thought, increases utilization and reduces error rates. After watching product get stowed, our tour group shifted over to the pick side of the operation, and watched associates remove items from their storage location, filling up totes.  The full totes were sent…

Milk with your Mail

The USPS has announced plans to begin delivering groceries in the NY metro area, following successful testing in San Francisco, reports Internet Retailer.  In a regulatory filing it made earlier this month, the USPS stated its intent to expand it’s Customized Delivery program to NYC and the surrounding areas, totaling 38 zip codes. The program is called Customized Delivery, and mailmen currently deliver groceries for AmazonFresh in San Francisco.  Neither Amazon or USPS has confirmed if their partnership will continue on the East Coast, so it remains to be seen which grocery service USPS will deliver. New York City is one of the most developed grocery delivery markets, with many players ranging from established (Fresh Direct) to newcomers too numerous to name.   Should the USPS choose to open up it’s…

New Robots Aim for Manufacturing Floors

A new generation of robots is about to be unleashed upon the manufacturing world, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report.  Designed to be more collaborative, these robots are meant to work in close quarters with humans, and take on tasks that workers previously found taxing.  New levels of dexterity have been reached in these robots, allowing fine motor skills.  However, robots still have problems with soft or floppy things, and must still master that challenge before reaching critical mass across all manufacturing industries.  Hal Sirkin of BCG believes that “investing in robots and using them efficiently be will a price of staying in the global manufacturing game.”  Plus, using robots should lower error and/or damage rates as robots will not deviate from programs.  Read…

Walmart’s New Subscription Service

Walmart has rolled out a new loyalty program that offers unlimited free, 3-day shipping on 1 million top-selling products for $50 annually.  Positioned as a value-alternative to Prime, Amazon’s free 2-day shipping program which costs $99/year, Walmart does not offer any of the perks associated with Prime membership (video streaming, book lending library, etc.).  Additionally the items Walmart is making available through the service represent only about 1/8th of Walmart’s total online offering.  However, Walmart does note that 1 million of its top-selling items qualify for free-shipping, so perhaps the list of eligible items dynamically updates to keep pace with consumer tastes. Currently, the program is being tested in select markets by invitation only.  Categories include toys, home décor, electronics, sporting goods, and apparel. The…

Uber’s New Delivery Program

TechCrunch reports that Uber is planning on launching a new delivery service for retailers through its drivers and Uber Rush couriers.  Sources say there are already 400 retailers in talks with Uber for same-day delivery services, including Neiman Marcus, Tiffany’s, and Hugo Boss.  This service would be in addition to Uber’s current offerings, which entail its signature black car service, UberRush and UberEats.   UberEats is currently available in Chicago, NYC, and Los Angeles, and features delivery of curated meals from local restaurants with menus that change weekly. Uber has experimented with delivery of items before, delivering Christmas trees and flowers on Valentine’s Day.  However these efforts have  been more of a standalone, one-time delivery service and not implemented year-round.  In hindsight, perhaps they were…

1 2 3 4 5 16