According to the newly released National Retail Federation (NRF) 2021 retail sales forecast, retail sales are slated to rise between 6.5 and 8.2 percent over 2020 results, which equates to a $4.33 trillion uptick. This prediction hinges on the success of COVID-19 vaccinations and the...
COVID-driven shopping behaviors resulted in a torrent of eCommerce activity during 2020, and while third-party logistics (3PL) companies saw new opportunities for growth, they concurrently struggled to keep up with the wave of demand....
The first episode for 2021 of the DC Innovation Series, 20-minute talks with supply chain pros examined a fascinating topic that has not been discussed yet by previous guests: Counterfeiting, and the technologies being used to fight against it....
Recent research from Voxware found that 41 percent of respondents returned an item due to retailer error (incorrect size, color or wrong item altogether), up from 30 percent in 2018. Incredibly, 51 percent of respondents said they returned an incorrect item only to have a...
Findings from the 2020 Warehouse Operations and Trends – an annual survey conducted by Peerless Research Group – reveal that investments in warehouse automation technology are lagging the recent surge in eCommerce activity. However, respondents understand the need for such solutions and many plan to...
Approaching the holiday 2020 rush, some retailers opted to start rolling out holiday deals long before the traditional Black Friday specials in hopes of spacing out holiday shopping. Shipping companies announced earlier dates for guaranteed delivery. But the smartest retailers spent the summer rolling out...
Each month, Keith Phillips, President and CEO of Voxware, hosts candid discussions with leading supply chain experts for the Distribution Center Innovation Series. Throughout 2020, a common theme has been the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the shockwaves it has sent through the industry....
Automated multimodal solutions, including voice, scanning, vision and image/video capture, have helped distribution center operations significantly increase speed and accuracy. When deployed along every workflow in a distribution center, multimodal technologies enable workers to perform at levels of efficiency previously unheard of, allowing product to...
Ecommerce sales have skyrocketed during the COVID-19 crisis and all indications point to the continuation of this explosive trend. As supply chains strained under the increased demand, retailers in an escalating arms race to fill orders quickly scrambled to find innovative ways to expedite deliveries....
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in distribution center operations stretched to capacity and struggling to match demand. Mandated stay-at-home orders and health concerns kept consumers away from brick and mortar retail and pushed them into the arms of eCommerce alternatives. Online retail sales were up as...
