This is an excerpt from Thursday’s (5/13) Point of Sale retail supply chain newsletter sponsored by ArcBest.
One of the most intriguing COVID silver linings was the opportunity for massive companies to pivot. For the apparel industry, those pivots have been largely consistent across subsegments and price points: Increase direct-to-consumer sales while cutting ties with undifferentiated retailers, focus on controlling inventory to minimize promotional activity, and consolidate the product...
Supply chain visibility platform FourKites announced Wednesday that its retail customer base has been experiencing unprecedented growth within a number of key industry metrics.
The company found that over the past six months, its retail customer base grew by 20% with a shipment increase in North America of 77%, 52% in Europe and 158% in Asia-Pacific.
“I think it’s obvious there has been a lot of disruption [worldwide] since COVID created manufacturing challenges,” said Glenn Koepke, senior vice...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/unprecedented-retail-growth-windfall-for-fourkites
As more manufacturing businesses realize the importance of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce, many are still lacking when it comes to digital marketing and sales programs.
According to a PwC survey, 66% said implementing digital marketing and sales over the next two years is a business priority; 40% said it is a top business challenge. Few manufacturers, though, have robust e-commerce platforms.
Robert Bono, industrial manufacturing practice leader for PwC, said the challenges are nearly...
Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT) grew its top and bottom lines at a blistering pace in the first quarter, with total revenue increasing by nearly 23% year-over-year to $24.2 billion, digital revenue climbing by 50% and adjusted earnings per share of $3.69 handily beating analysts’ median estimates of $2.20 a share.
The Minneapolis-based retailer reported operating income of $2.4 billion, up 407% from 2020 levels. Shares were up strongly in morning trading Wednesday amid a sharply down day for U.S....
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/target-knocks-ball-out-of-park-in-first-quarter
On Monday, Colliers International (NASDAQ, TSX: CIGI), a global commercial real estate management company, announced it would build a 167,000-square-foot cold storage facility in Liberty, Missouri.
The deal is notable because it continues a hot streak for the Kansas City region, which has seen a boom in the past year in commercial real estate, both in terms of companies building facilities and firms like Colliers constructing buildings even without tenants.
“The Kansas City region is among only a...
Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) on Tuesday reported first-quarter fiscal 2022 revenue of $138.7 billion, a 2.7% increase from the 2020 first quarter, while operating income rose 32% to $6.9 billion in what the company called strong across-the-board performance.
Adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.69, easily beating analysts’ median estimates of $1.21 a share. Revenue came in more than $6 billion higher than expectations. Shares were up 3.5% in premarket trading.
Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce sales rose...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/walmart-beats-handily-on-first-quarter-earnings-per-share-revenue
Customers in Vietnam and Malaysia can now expect faster service with direct flights from DHL Express’ Central Asia hub in Hong Kong.
The express carrier said Monday it has replaced its Hong Kong-Ho Chi Minh City-Penang route with a direct flight from Hong Kong to Penang, Malaysia, on an Airbus A300 five times per week. A larger A330 will also serve Ho Chi Minh city directly from Hong Kong six times per week, adding cargo capacity and shortening transit times to both cities.
The A330 has 62 tons...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dhl-boosts-se-asia-air-capacity-amid-e-commerce-surge
Add Pittsburgh and Kansas City, Missouri, to Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) rapidly growing network of airports served by its in-house cargo airline, which helps the company cut ground transport times and quickly deliver online orders to businesses and consumers.
The first Amazon Air flight arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday, the airport authority said in a news release. Amazon Air will operate daily flights to the city using a Boeing 737-800 freighter operated by contractor Sun...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/amazon-air-begins-daily-service-to-pittsburgh-kansas-city
PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) will acquire e-commerce returns specialist Happy Returns. Terms were not disclosed.
The news was first reported by CNBC.
Frank Keller, senior vice president of consumer in-store and digital commerce at PayPal, told CNBC the acquisition fits with PayPal’s vision moving forward.
“The post-purchase experience is something we’ve been looking into since it’s such a pain point — people want to shop online and return in store, and vice versa,” he said. “For retailers, we’re...
The last-mile innovation continues, and retailers are jumping on the bandwagon in a big way. According to a new report from last-mile logistics provider Bringg, 64% of respondents said they are planning new premium services and service plans to increase business.
“This past year has forced retailers and service providers to assess their supply chain agility and resilience,” said Guy Bloch, CEO at Bringg. “While they want to take advantage of growing opportunities in the world of e-commerce, they...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/legacy-systems-lack-of-visibility-hampering-last-mile-delivery-providers