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New site, old blogs: how come?
So how come we have old blogs on this web site, yet we've only just launched our blog feature? Easy: they're from past opinion columns and so on, and have never previously been available online. We thought you might nevertheless find some of them thought-provoking. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Wherever you start from, do it right
From Opinion column, issue 50 – winter 2008-9 Internet shopping in the UK increased by 14 per cent in December over the same period last year (IMRG-Cap Gemini figures), whereas retail as a whole fell by 1.4 per cent (BRC-KPMG figures). So even though retail of all kinds is suffering because of the recession, online is still clearly the place to be. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Next day or next month? The UK’s turbulent parcels past
Competition may be tough in today’s parcels market, but this fascinating book is a reminder of past troubles in the industry From In the Air, issue 49 – Autumn 2008 Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Why delivery is even more important now
From 'Opinion' column, issue 49 – autumn 2008 What will be the impact of recent world events on the multi-channel market – and indirectly on the logistics support behind it? That's what many in this industry are wondering, though so far it's probably too early to call. Like all retailing, the multi-channel kind must take some sort of hit – but currently the evidence is that it will maintain growth levels way above those of the high street. Relatively speaking, it's still a good place for retailers to be. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Delivery – the resources are there, so why don't retailers use them?
by Marcia MacLeod, from 'Checkout' column, issue 49 (autumn 2008) The development of wireless networks and mobile communications has certainly improved customer service levels. Gone are the days when drivers set off with their loaded vans and no one – not their depot, not their head office, certainly not the home consumer – had any idea where they were or when they would arrive at any particular delivery point. Now drivers can receive routes and schedules on handheld devices. In theory they can be informed immediately if a consumer has to go out, and can therefore hold that person's order until later on in the day or take it back to base for re-scheduling. They can also be given a return collection to add to the schedule "on the fly". Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Why emails should say what they mean
We read that more and more consumers want to communicate with online retailers by email. OK, well considering the fact that many consumer emails are never answered at all, you might feel relieved and gratified if you receive any kind of response to yours. But what if you get one that doesn’t actually resolve your question? Here’s a neat piece of ellipsis in an email correspondence I’ve been having with a retailer. I had to return some faulty goods, and I wasn’t clear about the refund process. So I sent the supplier an email asking whether the refund would be activated automatically once they received the goods back into stock, or whether I had to take some action myself at that point. And here’s the reply: “Once the parcel is returned to our warehouse we will be able to issue you a refund.” Read whole of above item Email us about this item
When erring towards caution may not pay
Retailers such as Amazon often receive praise for their shrewd policy of adopting a worst-case view of delivery dates. The argument is that if you tell consumers to expect a Wednesday delivery date, but then deliver on Tuesday, they will be impressed. If you do the opposite, they’ll be disappointed. This is true to a point, but it can backfire. We’ve just received an email from a consumer that runs as follows: Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Street cred comes to delivery solutions
From 'Opinion' column, issue 48 Well, it’s finally happened. Someone (namely ByBox) has come up with what could be a real winner in terms of alternative solutions for the home delivery market: intelligent locker banks combined with public phone boxes on existing phone-box sites. Shared locker systems have been hovering in the wings of the B2C delivery market for the past eight years, but although increasingly sophisticated, and now widely deployed for field service deliveries, they were never going to cut it with consumers when they were mostly tucked away in filling station forecourts and similar locations. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Best of both worlds, or worst?
From 'Opinion' column, issue 47 The internet is like one enormous shop. That’s probably how a lot of consumers see it, anyway. Web sites are the display shelves, and the service counter is the consumer’s own doorstep. However, a lot of retailers would probably like to change that perception, and draw online consumers back into their traditional bricks-and-mortar retail stores. But the big question is, should we let them? Read whole of above item Email us about this item
When the music stops
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 46 It’s hard to see internet retailing escape the undeniable slowdown that’s currently being experienced on the high street. When consumers tighten their belts, the effects are likely to be felt across the board. What seems unlikely to diminish much is the proportion of shopping that is being done online. If anything the figure could see a boost as consumers stay at home, yet can’t resist checking out their favourite retail web sites. Online retailers will no doubt be going into email overdrive to capitalise on their interest. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
The web page – where interaction starts
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 45 Nearly a third of online retailers don’t tell you what delivery will cost you until you register or log in, and fourteen per cent don’t tell you that a customer signature is required on receipt. Those are among two of the more depressing findings in the latest annual delivery report conducted by Snow Valley in association with IMRG, which is reported in this issue. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
We know where your products are – roughly speaking
by Marcia MacLeod, from ‘Checkout’ column, issue 44 (summer 2007) Ask any parcel carrier what the most valuable – or most popular – features of their service are, and what do you think their response will be? Track and trace, delivery options, track and trace, price, track and trace, flexibility and ... um ... track and trace. But if you’re the shipper, what is so great about being told all fifty of your parcels were collected yesterday when you already know that because you handed them over to the driver yourself? Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Delivery – it’s a state of mind
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 43 – spring 2007 As Fulfilment & e.logistics approaches its seventh birthday (counting from the launch of our predecessor title, e.logistics, back in 2000), we’re very much aware that we’ve been making some of the same points over and over again. But repetition only serves to strengthen us in some of our opinions. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
The weakest link?
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 42 Suppose a carrier is trying to deliver some home shopping to you. You’re out, but the fabled “yellow card” gets lost, or is never supplied in the first place. You don’t actually know a delivery attempt has been made at all. Read whole of above item Email us about this item 22 October 2008 Response from Unhappy Shopper:
The parcel was never on board in the first place
I totally agree with your comment about our reliance on the guy on ground when it comes to successful home delivery. I just wanted to point out that you've missed out one scenario. It's when the parcel was never loaded on the van in the first place.
Not nice to have, but the norm
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 41 “Multi-channel retail” really is moving into the mainstream – or at least the term itself is. You hear it more and more frequently these days. However, as with so many catch-phrases, to some extent it’s being devalued in the repetition. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Conspiracy theory
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 40 From the feature on express parcels in issue 40 of Fulfilment & e.logistics (summer 2006), it’s clear that something quite important is happening in the world of home deliveries. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Wake-up call
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 39 Let me tell you a story. Last November I ordered a new laptop computer from a London-based manufacturer, and in due time I received a call to say it would be despatched by carrier on its standard next-day delivery service. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Checkout shouldn’t be an ordeal
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 38 So UK shoppers will spend £5 billion online this Christmas [This was Christmas 2005 – Editor], and for US shoppers the figure will be $18 billion. The figures come from IMRG and Forrester Research respectively. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Not engaged
From ‘Checkout’ column, issue 36 – summer 2005 Every time a cold-calling sales person telephones me, they insult me with their very first breath. Every single time. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
A charter with teeth
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 37 Two developments on the home shopping front this summer [This was summer 2005 – Editor] underline the progress of this market sector towards the retailing and logistics mainstream. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
Charter needed
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 36 – summer 2005 Back in 2001, when online shopping was still in its relative infancy, the BBC’s consumer affairs programme Watchdog launched a scheme called the Delivery Charter, and several big retailers signed up to it (in name at any rate, since it had no real teeth apart from what it gained from media exposure). Read whole of above item Email us about this item
When will we get it?
From ‘Opinion’ column, issue 35 – spring 2005 When you’re thinking of buying online, and your mouse pointer is hovering over the final “submit” button, what holds you back? Is it fear of credit card fraud, or concerns over product quality? We rather doubt it. Read whole of above item Email us about this item
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