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Shipping & Fulfillment
The Unforeseen Impact of Drop-shipping Fees
August 9, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
An efficient drop-shipping program requires a seamless integration between a retailer and its drop-ship suppliers. Inventory levels, prices, fulfillment details, and order and payment info are types of data that should ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
The 2 Winners in Amazon vs. Walmart Battle
June 19, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
After an ecommerce power-up that included acquiring a string of online retailers, including Jet.com, Walmart took a major swing at Amazon by offering free 2-day shipping for qualified orders of ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
For Retailers, ‘Less-limited Aisle’ beats ‘Endless Aisle’
May 9, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
The concept of “endless aisle” has been discussed in ecommerce for years. Many online merchants have watched Amazon’s rise to market domination and believe their own path to success lies ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Navigating Drop Shipping and Sales Taxes
April 14, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
I’ve written a lot about the fact that drop shipping isn’t just another distribution method. It’s a new way of doing business that has unique operational and logistical challenges. The ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Doesn’t Do Long-tail. Why Should You?
April 4, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
The idea of “endless aisle” and “long-tail” retail has gained much traction since the publication in 2005 of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Implications of Amazon’s Dominance for Brands, Retailing
January 10, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
Consumers around the world are acquainted with Amazon. I spent $3,607.08 on Amazon in 2016 alone. With 54 million U.S. consumers (64 million worldwide) in its Prime program, Amazon rivals ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: Be Cautious of Automation
August 18, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
The primary benefit of drop shipping for retailers is the ability to access merchandise without incurring physical inventory carrying costs. It also enables suppliers to open new channels or penetrate existing ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: 5 Tactics of Successful Retailers
July 19, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
In "Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 2: The Basics," I explained that one of the challenges with drop shipping is sellers believe it will be easy to implement. It sort of oversells itself, in fact. Think of the powerful terms that are often used to describe it: “Inventory Free Retail,” “Endless Aisle.”
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Invoices
May 21, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
Drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory, and orders. The final step in the drop shipping process occurs when the supplier ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Returns
April 16, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
Drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory, and orders. The order integration and workflow culminates with fulfillment and shipment from the ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Fulfillment
March 18, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
Recall from my previous posts that drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory, and orders. It all culminates with fulfillment and ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Orders
February 17, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
Drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory, and orders. If you’re new to drop shipping, read my 4-part series on the ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Inventory Visibility
January 20, 2015 • Jeremy Hanks
If you’re new to drop shipping, read my 4-part series on the basics, for ecommerce. Drop shipping requires three major data integrations between the retailer and the supplier: product catalog, inventory,
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping: How to Manage Product Catalog Data
December 16, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
This is my sixth article on ecommerce drop shipping. The first five installments addressed the basics. This month, I’ll leave the installment format behind and discuss deeper topics and trends. Drop ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Ecommerce Drop Shipping vs. Marketplaces: Pros, Cons
November 25, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
This is the fifth installment in my series on drop shipping and inventory supply models. In “Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 1: Supply Chain History,” my first article, I addressed basic ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 4: Winning Strategies
October 20, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
In “Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 1: Supply Chain History,” my first article, I addressed the basic supply chain evolution inside of ecommerce. Then, in “Part 2: The Basics,” I ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 3: Suppliers vs. Retailers
September 17, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
In “Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 1: Supply Chain History,” my first article, I addressed basic supply chain evolution inside of ecommerce. Last month, in “Part 2: The Basics,” I ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 2: The Basics
August 15, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
My article last month, “Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 1: Supply Chain History,” was the first in a series about drop shipping as an ecommerce supply management technique. What Is Drop ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 1: Supply Chain History
July 24, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
To fully address the good and the bad of drop shipping as a supply management technique, I'm going to start with the history and current state of the retail supply chain.