How ReturnBear sees the future of online returns

In 2018, retail consultant Steve Dennis predicted that e-commerce returns would become a drag on retailers’ earnings.

“As e-commerce captures a growing share of all retail sales, omnichannel brands that have high return rates and high return handling costs find themselves in the unenviable position of seeing their marginal economics deteriorate — what I refer to as the ‘omnichannel migration dilemma’ — as their online business grows,” he wrote at the time for Forbes.

What Dennis saw and others...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-returnbear-sees-the-future-of-online-returns

Fillogic and the metamorphosis of physical retail

Fillogic microdistribution hubs in malls logistics network

When was the last time you went to a shopping mall? Don’t remember? Well, you’re not alone. Malls have been on the decline since the turn of the century for a wide variety of reasons. Big department stores are closing down left and right, the real estate sector is suffering due to COVID-19 and e-commerce sales have more than doubled in the last five years, all of which have contributed to the rise of online shopping and the decline of physical retail.

Malls may appear to be a lost cause. But in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fillogic-and-the-metamorphosis-of-physical-retail

April retail sales were excellent (for freight markets)

This is an excerpt from Thursday’s (5/17) Point of Sale retail supply chain newsletter sponsored by ArcBest.

The headlines read something like “April retail sales flat, missing expectations.” Indeed, Americans spent 0.0% more in April (seasonally adjusted) than we did in March. Compared to this time last year, retail sales in April climbed 37.2%. Both of these numbers mean very little because of their respective wacky denominators. 

Retail sales came in flat month-over-month in April, but after a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/april-retail-sales-were-excellent-for-freight-markets

5 predictions for retail supply chains in 2021

Rather than recapping 2020, I’d rather look onward. There have been a ton of retail supply chain changes this past year. Some will last, others will not. Let’s collectively lick our wounds and look forward. Here’s 5 predictions for the retail supply chain in 2021.

Correction, inventory

Much has been made of relatively low inventory levels across the retail supply chain this year. The inventory-to-sales ratio currently stands at 1.31, down from 1.40 this time last year. We at FreightWaves have...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/5-predictions-for-the-retail-supply-chain-in-2021

Mr. Bezos goes to the mall (maybe)

The next phase of the retail mall revolution, from shopping to shipping, just got a big push forward.

The Wall Street Journalreported late Sunday night that Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is negotiating with real estate giant Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) to transform some of Simon’s department store properties into fulfillment centers by assuming anchor tenant spaces once held by major but now struggling retailers. According to the Journal, the talks have focused on J.C. Penney and Sears,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/mr-bezos-goes-to-the-mall-maybe

Join Our Newsletter
Enter your email to receive a weekly round-up of shipping news.
icon