SUPPLY CHAIN

Walmart’s e-commerce arm is making it easier for New Yorkers — especially those without a doorman — to get their deliveries.   Jet.com is teaming up with Latch, a provider of smart building access technologies, to integrate a reader-style electronic access product in 1,000 buildings in New York City. The installation, which is being paid for by the partners, will give more than 100,000 residents the ability to retrieve orders electronically, according to TechCrunch.  

Amazon is once again expanding its distribution fleet — this time in the Beehive State.   The online giant will open an 855,000 sq. ft. fulfillment center in Salt Lake City — the company’s first warehouse in Utah. The facility, which will employ 1,500 full-time hourly associates, will pick, pack, and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys.  

Amazon is once again bolstering its warehouse fleet in the Sunshine State.   The online giant will open an 850,000-sq.-ft. facility staffed with robots and more than 1,000 workers in South Florida. The depot will reside in a vacant property that is currently being transformed into a 97-acre commercial center adjoining the county’s Opa-locka airport, according to The Miami Herald.  

Vitamin World’s commerce and supply chain operations are undergoing a digital transformation.  

There is a major disconnect between retailers and consumers when it comes to shipping expectations.    Retailers understand that consumers want free shipping. But they are challenged by and grappling with the rising costs of shipping online orders, according to “The State of Shipping in Commerce,” a report from Temando, a shipping and fulfillment software platform provider.  

Drone deliveries by Amazon could one day originate from an unusual-looking starting point.   

For the first time ever, UPS is going to add a surcharge for orders delivered to homes during peak holiday times.    The surcharges, which apply only to residential deliveries, could boost the buy-online-pickup-in-stores (BOPIS) strategy deployed by many store-based retailers.  The move comes as the shipping giant look to combat its escalating costs, which include increased investments in hiring, in the wake of the shipping boom caused by rising online package volumes.    

Retailers are thrilled with their surging online sales, however the same can’t be said for associated fulfillment operations.    Business is booming online as sales across 82% of e-commerce and multichannel businesses increased in 2016. Only 6% reported a decrease in orders. While many voiced concerns over increasing competition, Brexit and currency fluctuations, the majority of companies (88%) expected a further increase in e-commerce orders during 2017.