Free and fast shipping doesn’t come cheap. But today’s customers expect it. In fact, they expect a lot from their online shopping experience from order through delivery and even returns.
This demand has put a strain on eCommerce players as they try to keep profits in line while keeping customers happy. And as shown in this infographic, customers—and potential customers—are more than willing to click to the next site if they don’t get what they want when they want it from shippers.
SaaS parcel shipping solutions used to be only for small shippers. Not anymore. The IoT connects shipping apps to local data sources, scales, thermal label printers, and other material handling devices.
Here is a real scenario. In the south of England, a large swarm of robots occupy a three-story grocery fulfillment center managing 50,000 products in three temperature regimes, each fulfilling customer orders, communicating over wireless networks. Welcome to the world of the Internet of Things (IoT).
When you’ve spent more than a quarter of a century in and around parcel shipping and logistics, you gather a wealth of information and insights. But, it is what you do with that information that matters most.
Pierbridge Managing Director Bob Malley believes that sharing that information for the good of shippers in all industries is the best way to give back and to help them do their best.
In a recent podcast with Inbound Logistics, Malley spent some time expanding on our recent white paper looking at the “Amazon Effect” on eCommerce logistics and how e-tailers and others can adapt to the changing landscape of parcel shipping.
eCommerce isn’t all about retail. Manufacturers are taking on more of a B2C role as they are called upon to ship directly to eMerchant customers, on top of having to manage an increasingly complex supply chain. And traditional TMS systems aren’t equipped to untangle that complexity.
It may be an understatement, but shipping has become very complex for manufacturers.
“It’s kind of crazy,” says Mike Graves, Director of Product Management at Pierbridge, after walking through an example of how in just three years, shipping changed drastically for a Pierbridge client.
Posted on June 21, 2018Left to right: Mark Hall (WiseTech Global), Bob Malley and Mark Picarello (Pierbridge)
Global logistics solutions group, WiseTech Global, today announced the acquisition of Pierbridge, a leading parcel shipping transportation management solution (TMS) provider to medium and large shippers in the United States.
Headquartered in Massachusetts with development offices in the UK and Finland, Pierbridge offers an enterprise-class, multi-carrier, parcel shipping solution, which streamlines carrier selection, booking, label printing, tracking, invoice reconciliation and BI reporting. Pierbridge provides its parcel shipping TMS direct to customers and through solutions providers including Pitney Bowes, Logistyx and others. Pierbridge’s technology automates many large shipping operations across the manufacturing, healthcare, financial, technology and e-commerce sectors for end-users including Overstock.com, Siemens, US Homeland Security, BNY Mellon Bank, Texas Instruments, Genentech, Mazda, Home Depot and Menards.
A few key tips for surviving the current carrier capacity crunch.
“Innovate or die!”
Okay, jeez, you don’t have to yell, we’re trying.
“Disrupt yourself!”
One, that sounds like it will hurt, and two, please settle down.
The current carrier capacity crunch that the logistics industry is experiencing may seem like something shippers have weathered before, but this time it’s different. Changing technology, a growing economy coupled with growing consumer demands, and new regulations are all combining to create what many industry observers are calling “unprecedented.”
Not all Enterprise Shipping APIs are created equal. Here’s what you need to consider when evaluating how to augment your enterprise systems with multi-carrier shipping capabilities.
There has been an explosion in Enterprise Shipping APIs. But how many of them will provide you with the breadth and depth of capabilities you need for production-level deployment across your enterprise?
Here are the top 10 things developers and IT personnel should consider when evaluating Enterprise Shipping APIs.
Shopping cart abandonment is a problem in the eCommerce world. In fact, trillions of dollars in business is lost every year due to cart abandonment—and that doesn’t count the time and money spent trying to get those customers back through email and retargeting ad campaigns.
Amazingly in 2017, according to an article on Chargebacks911, “Consumers added more than $9 trillion to online shopping carts in 2017 but due to shopping cart abandonment, only about 25% of that total will ultimately make it through the checkout process."
Cartonization algorithms can reduce unexpected DIM fees and waste, but did you know that they can help you find the cheapest way to pack an order for whatever carrier zone you’re sending your shipment?
You know the score: eCommerce volumes have created a capacity crunch for parcel and LTL carriers. They have responded by expanding dimensional-based (DIM) rating policies, which penalize shippers who waste space on their trucks by packing orders into cartons that are too large relative to the weight of the contained items.
The result? Unexpected DIM fees on carrier invoices. Luckily, there is new cartonization technology that can help reduce shipping costs and eliminate waste.
Pierbridge sat down with Brian Bourke, VP of Marketing, SEKO Logistics, to discuss the explosion of global retail and eCommerce and how companies can use supply chain strategies to differentiate themselves.
One of the largest drivers in the growth of global eCommerce and parcel shipping is the retail market. Consumers now have more choice when it comes to buying the latest fashion, allowing retailers from around the world to compete in countries that, 10 years ago, they would never dream of setting foot in without some serious financial muscle.
But it’s not all gravy trains to the bank. As more small, medium, and large retailers get online, they become inevitably drawn into delivering to customers across international borders. Competition is fierce. How does one retailer differentiate its Summer 2018 blue shirt and dresses trend from another retailer’s Summer 2018 light-blue shirts and dresses? And then how does a retailer cost-effectively and speedily ship that one T-shirt across a hemisphere?
Become a better parcel shipper to reduce costs, increase margins, improve customer service, and stay competitive. Stay informed on the latest trends in shipping and parcel transportation management. Delivered regularly by email and through social media.
