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How Technology is Enhancing the Experience between the Four Walls of Retail

Retail customer expectations continues to rise as technology evolves. As soon as a retail customer drives into the parking lot of a store, the clock begins to tick. Who is this customer? What did they buy the last time they were in the store? What have they looked at online before entering the store? How can the retailer keep them in the store ten minutes longer than their previous visit? A variety of technologies are trying to help answer these questions and more.  Let’s take a look:

  1. A 2015 survey by Cisco, stated that up to 73% of shoppers…

A Drone Take Over Is In Our (Warehouse) Future

 

In the very near future, that humming noise you are hearing in the warehouse will not be the air conditioning motor, but rather a fleet of drones cruising around taking inventory. We have reached a time when drone usage within the warehouse is being adopted by several major retailers as increased e-commerce demand is forcing companies to keep pace.  The average amount of time it takes a Walmart employee to manually check inventory in a warehouse is one month. It will take a drone one day to complete the same duties. This significant cost savings will allow Walmart…

Self-Driving Trucks are Here!

In the box office hit movie “Logan”, the hero of the movie, Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman), has several run-ins with armored self-driving trucks. 2029 is the year the movie takes place. Self-driving trucks could be here sooner than the movie is foreshadowing (without the armor!). We expect self-driving trucks to be common in the next five to ten years. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages to autonomous or self-driving trucks. Let’s take a look at both sides of the debate:
  1. Advantage: The economic rationale for self-driving trucks might be stronger than the one for driverless cars.

Ring calls PERFORMANCE TEAM to fulfill growing demand

Outdoor Home Security Innovator Leverages Performance Team to Scale Fulfillment Capability


LOS ANGELES, June 2, 2017 – Performance Team, a leading provider of distribution and transportation services for both emerging and established brands, is proud to announce that it has been selected by Ring, a leading outdoor home security company, to provide retail and ecommerce fulfillment services. “At Ring, it’s our mission to reduce crime by creating a ‘ring’ of security around our customers’ front doors, homes and neighborhoods. As Ring continues to grow at a rapid pace, we looked for a partner that could scale with us,…

Q&A with Performance Team CEO Craig Kaplan

 

What was the most significant trend to impact the retail supply chain in 2016?

The most significant trend in 2016 was the continued shift of volume from brick and mortar to e-commerce. This issue is here to stay and we need to continue to help design and support flexible solutions for our customers. In our March blog we spoke about how brick and mortar stores were evolving and the shift to e-commerce was accelerating. The 2016 holiday shopping season was further proof as the growth of…

“The Cyber Five” is here and it’s mobile!

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No, it’s not a new super hero movie or this season’s hottest toy, but rather what industry insiders are calling the busy online shopping period after Thanksgiving when shoppers can expect to find the best deals from their favorite retailers.  More specifically, Cyber Five is the week-long shopping holiday defined as the five consecutive days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday which includes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Super Sunday.

The combination of growing online sales as well as mobile friendly shopping sites means that consumers…

Thoughts on Supply Chain Trends in the Footwear Industry

dreamstime_xl_50400943   Nike was one of the first companies to breakthrough in the “modern” footwear industry by using the now famous slogan “Just Do It” and selecting Saturday mornings as the universal day of the week when new Air Jordan shoes were released. Since that time, the footwear industry has continued to evolve and has embraced several trends as companies battle to stay ahead of the curve. Let’s examine a few of these:  
  1. 3D Printing – This technology is now bleeding into the footwear industry. Under Armour recently used 3D printing within the…

The Robots are Coming!

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The robots are coming! The robots are coming! We aren’t talking about Robocop or even the loveable “Wall-E”. These new-age robots are headed directly to the warehouse. There has been subtle usage of robots in the warehouse for years, but Amazon’s purchase of Kiva set the stage for the current landscape of robotics within the warehouse.

There are a number of advantages to warehouse robots:

  • Robots have the capability to work 24×7 without a break.
  • The maintenance cost is relatively low, particularly in…

Free Shipping…The New Normal?

Free Shipping To offer free shipping or not…that is the question. As the ecommerce space continues to grow and develop into a major shopping portal for consumers, online retailers are left with a decision to make about free shipping. A compete.com survey stated that free shipping would encourage 93% of consumers surveyed to purchase more products online. Shoppers are also reported to spend approximately 30% more when free shipping is offered. 52% of shopping cart abandonment is due to shipping and handling costs. In general, consumers are more at ease when…

The Power of Reverse Logistics

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As the e-commerce movement continues to grow, the importance of an effective reverse logistics strategy is paramount. A flexible and strong reverse logistics strategy helps companies reduce costs, add efficiencies, improve the customer experience and build a sustainable supply chain. The official industry definition of reverse logistics is “the process of controlling the efficient flow of goods from the point of consumption to the point of origin for purposes of recapturing value.” The primary driver of reverse logistics is the massive cost of returns. In 2010,…