Home shopping – it's booming, but are the delivery companies ready?
Predictions of growth in home delivery have been thoroughly vindicated, but is the e-fulfilment market keeping up with demand? Peter Rowlands reports
Read MoreTag: iForce
YOUR PERSONAL POST BOX
UK online retail sales are now growing at 10 times the rate of traditional retail. However, with this confidence comes a desire and an impatience to have goods delivered on the customer’s terms, not the e-tailer’s. This means that the number of ways in which merchants fulfil demand must increase accordingly, adding a new layer of complexity to the process. One of the fastest growing sectors addressing this issue is the drop- box market. These secure delivery boxes allow goods to be delivered at any time, for consumers to pick up at their convenience.
Read MoreIForce finalises major asset-sharing agreement with Consignia
iForce(tm), a European leader in digital fulfilment solutions for the direct-to-consumer (DTC) market, has secured investment worth up to GBP5m led by Lynx New Media Ventures, a Bear Stearns and Virgin enterprise, with participation from investors including Firebird Capital, a specialist logistics investor.
iForce(tm) also announces today that it has finalised a major asset-sharing agreement with Consignia which will increase iForce(tm)’s warehouse capacity in the UK and broaden the distribution of its proprietary warehousing and logistics software solution, SMaRT*.
Home Delivery: The Last Mile
Home shopping is a lifesaver for busy people, but only when receiving the goods is as convenient as the ordering process itself. But while breaking delivery promises has been much lamented in the past, now the fulfilment Holy Grail is not getting products on the road but delivering them effortlessly to people’s doors. It’s the last mile that counts.
Read MoreJohn Lewis pumps millions into Web unit
Department store hopes to attract younger, trendier clientele with expanded online services. In a move reminiscent of the go-go days of e-commerce, department store John Lewis Partnership has allocated £30m-£40m for a new Internet and catalogue business, the company has said.
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