Retail Logistics

How to prepare for Black Friday: Tool Kit

Last year, nearly 155 million Americans shopped during Black Friday and retail sales totaled $886.7 billion. Are you ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday orders? To help ecommerce brands prepare, Extensiv has put together a Black Friday/Cyber Monday Tool Kit packed with handy checklists and tips. We even have some tips on how to optimize your warehouse, logistics, operations, and workflow. If you don’t feel ready for Black Friday, download our Tool Kit today!

Not Your Mama’s 3PL

How do you define a 3PL? There are many definitions as to what a 3PL really is, especially as the capabilities of a 3PL have shifted dramatically throughout the years. But the legal definition of a 3PL was hammered down in 2008, defined as a person who solely receives, holds, or otherwise transports a consumer product.

Illuminate Your External Supply Chain: A Digital Transformation Guide for Improved External Collaboration

Consumer packaged goods companies face mounting pressures on all sides, such as retailer demands, supply shortages, and consumer preference shifts. It’s no small feat to juggle these tremendous market forces while managing an external network of manufacturers and packagers. This guide outlines the benefits and rewards of a successful digital transformation strategy and the obstacles encountered along the way.

As E-Commerce Demand Shifts, Omnichannel Brands Take the Lead

The acceleration of online buying behaviors has altered the face of e-commerce logistics. Brands already optimizing their supply chains before the pandemic were more aligned with their omnichannel consumers and have leapt ahead. With the right approach, you can achieve greater flexibility, personalized support, and enhanced visibility to surpass competitors and create a long-standing competitive advantage. Learn how.

Parcel Cargo Chains Coming of Age

Consumers are shopping from merchants around the globe on their smartphones and other devices at the click of a button. Cargo chains are emerging to facilitate and accelerate cross-border last-mile parcel deliveries. The challenge for retailers and supply chain partners is making them seamless to end consumers. Our latest eBook, “Parcel Cargo Chains Coming of Age,” shines a light on building a solid cargo chain.

Take Command of Demand with Retail Solutions

Consumer purchases used to be limited to what retailers had on their shelves. E-commerce means everything is in stock, and retailers are shifting gears to chase demand. Learn how retailers can optimize their supply chains by working with providers to craft timely forecasts, identify efficiency improvements and modify plans as needed using diverse services and technologies

Omnichannel Retailers Delivering from the Endless Aisle 

Trying to improve delivery and control the cost of “free shipping,” logistics professionals are implementing omnichannel shipping strategies that deliver from inventory sources closer to their customers, creating an endless aisle. This means a boon for local delivery service providers, and more to manage for shippers. Our latest eBook, “Omnichannel Retailers Delivering from the Endless Aisle,” delivers the ins-and-outs of shipping from the endless aisle.

How Does Your Returns Process Affect Your Retail Business?

E-commerce has changed the way consumers shop and put a completely new spin on retail. To differentiate themselves in an ever-competitive market, retailers have chosen to focus on making the returns process faster and easier for consumers. But is it working? Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo, sits down with Brian Bourke of SEKO Logistics to talk about the new retail landscape and how to have many happy returns.

An Inside Look at Drop Shipping

Retailers that expand their item assortment can dramatically increase customer satisfaction and sales. Vendor drop shipping enables retailers to easily add and test SKUs – without taking on additional inventory carrying costs. Read our white paper to find out how to develop an optimal vendor drop ship strategy and how to enable ship from vendor – in a matter of months!

The Retailer’s Guide to Vendor Compliance and Reducing Chargebacks 

With increasing demands from retail buyers, this whitepaper is aimed at providing tips and best practices that shippers can utilize to help avoid delivery and compliance mishaps. You’ll learn several key practices that you can put into action immediately to help boost your ability to meet your retail vendor’s compliance requirements. From coordinating warehousing and production to knowing what to ask of your carrier, become empowered to ship retail without the worry of incurring costly chargebacks and fees.

3 Keys of Direct-to-Consumer Success

What are the three keys to direct-to-consumer success, and why do they matter? Download this whitepaper now to discover: How the three keys work together to help you deliver a great brand experience, from online to on-time delivery; the two most inportant questions you should ask your 3PL about how it manages your online orders; the two essential qualities your 3PL must have to ensure same-day fulfillment of every order; and the single most important tool your 3PL needs to select the most cost-effective shipping method for on-time delivery.

Should Your E-Commerce Website Offer Free Shipping?

As much as people enjoy the convenience of being able to shop online, most don’t want to wait long or spend much to get their goods delivered. Amazon and other big box retailers have created an environment where free, quick shipping is now the norm. Shipping is a factor for any online retailer, and approaching it in the wrong way may end up costing you.

How to Reduce Chargebacks in Your Vendor Compliance Program

Retailer chargeback penalties for non-compliant shipments are a profit-draining reality for many consumer goods manufacturers. Companies with the will and the resources to prevent and refute chargebacks can avoid hundreds of thousands, even millions, in lost profit. This paper provides background on the origins and rationale for chargebacks, followed by a 7-step process for avoiding or overturning these costly penalties.

The Alibaba Effect: What Today’s 3PLs Need to Know

Alibaba has burst on to the global scene and is poised to make a huge impact on today’s marketplace. This new player, coupled with increasing customer expectations, means that today’s third-party logistics (3PL) providers need new omni-channel strategies and solutions. Download this new whitepaper to learn how marketplaces such as Alibaba are developing new opportunities for retailers and consumer product companies, and the best ways that 3PLs can provide smart supply chain solutions to support them.

Seven Order Fulfillment Strategies to Fast Track Your E-Commerce Business Growth

Most e-commerce businesses start small, fulfilling daily orders using manual processes and handling growth by simply adding more staff, more shifts and more storage. This approach can work to a limited extent, but with increased success comes increased order volume, lines per order, complexity and the inevitable need to upgrade to a fulfillment facility with some level of automation. This whitepaper shares seven proven order fulfillment growth strategies, and includes tips that can help you get your orders out the door more efficiently, accurately, and cost-effectively as your business grows and seasonal demand occurs.

Mobile Shopping Cliffhanger: Consumers Identify Big Gaps in Retail Shopping Apps

New research reveals that consumers are adopting mobile shopping at an impressive rate, but a looming problem exists. A surprising percentage of consumers report struggling with mobile shopping apps. When consumers struggle, 51 percent abandon the shopping cart and leave the app; 20 percent leave the app entirely and never return. Don’t leave your mobile shopping customers hanging. Read this free report and find out how you can increase revenue, reduce operating costs, and elevate net promoter scores.

Disruptive Logistics: The New Frontier for e-Commerce

E-commerce continues to push delivery logistics in new directions. E-tailers of all sizes are looking to “disruptive logistics” – a combination of delivery speed and innovation – as a way to add value, separate themselves from the pack, and keep the customer under their banner throughout the entire shopping process. As a result of these moves, formerly well-defined borders between e-tailing and logistics are dissolving, shifting the entire e-commerce ecosystem in new ways that will impact all businesses in the space. This whitepaper analyzes recent trends in e-commerce logistics and presents strategies for e-tail giants, small and mid-sized companies, and third-party logistics providers.