the advantages of online shopping

Most of us seem to be on the same page: it can work—or not—depending on whether or not there is sufficient in-store staffing so as not to neglect in-store customers (yes, not everyone shops online…really!). I would think those retailers who “get it (staffing) right” are the same ones who get other retail issues “right”…and those who don’t are the same underperformers who will be the subject of future RW “how can they get back on track?” articles.

ShipNetwork offers fulfillment services to ecommerce retailers, and has a network of fulfillment centers in the US. It has facilities in the eastern and western regions, with new facilities planned in the future.

Lawrence has been covering engineering subjects – with a focus on motorsport technology – since 2007 and has edited and contributed to a variety of international titles. Currently, he is responsible for content across UKI Media & Events' portfolio of websites while also writing for the company's print titles. Get access to essential strategic content, in-depth reports, industry intelligence, and exclusive data.

The global e-commerce fulfillment services market size was valued at USD 86,449.97 million in 2021 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5% from 2022 to 2030. The proliferation of electronic commerce and the resulting rise in the number of online buyers, especially in emerging economies is anticipated to fuel market growth. Fulfillment service centers enable online merchants to outsource services including bundling, warehousing, shipping, and other value-added services, such as return management and urgent parcel service. A fulfillment center is ideal for merchants that do not have robust warehousing capabilities to manage inventory directly and do not want to invest additional efforts in shipping.

Based on service types, the global market has been further divided into warehousing & storage fulfillment services, bundling fulfillment services, shipping fulfillment services, and others. The shipping fulfillment service segment led the market and accounted for the maximum share of more than 35.6% of the global revenue in 2021. The trade liberalization policies and cross-border shipment agreements have resulted in increased trade and shipping activities. With the proliferation of the e-commerce industry, e-commerce companies prefer to outsource shipping services to third-party service providers and concentrate on other key business operations.

I agree with Gajendra that it would be interesting to see the correlation between online and in-store sales based on which of these tactics stores are employing.

The e-commerce fulfillment methods that you choose can make or break your business. Customers want their online orders to be fulfilled as quickly as possible, with frequent and clear status updates along the way. Failure to fulfill and ship orders in a timely manner or inform customers about issues or delays could cause you to lose customers to competitors who can better meet their needs. Delight them, however, and you’ve just earned yourself a loyal customer and maybe a word-of-mouth recommendation or two!

US-based e-commerce distribution specialist Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL) recently celebrated its 20th anniversary as a national, full-service third-party logistics provider, marking the occasion with the launch of a new service, Xparcel Expedited.