BLOG – North America

From the continued impact of the pandemic to ongoing Brexit fall-out, 2020 has been a year unlike any other for retail. The second lockdown has…

As carriers warn about capacity concerns and supply chain disruption continues, PFS looks at how brands and retailers can prepare for last-minute shoppers in 2020.…

As COVID-19 cases continue to surge worldwide, Holiday 2020 is sure to be anything but normal. For many, this will be the first time in…

The upcoming holidays will be unlike any before, and brands must adapt accordingly. These unusual circumstances need to be met with creative solutions to ensure…

For many years, there’s been a clear distinction between generational shopping habits – which has provided brands with a powerful lens to help engage and…

2020 has been a year marked by a series of uncertainties. Many companies have seemingly been flying blind the past several months, attempting to weather…

The digital space has been making significant waves in the beauty industry for some time now, social media being the primary instigator. But nothing could…

Many brands and retailers are implementing multi-node fulfillment operations in preparation of Brexit, creating opportunities to expand eCommerce operations across Europe. However, the extensive VAT…

Beginning in late July, a number of major retailers announced they will be closing stores on Thanksgiving Day for the first time in years. Walmart…

COVID-19 has caused DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) brands to entirely rethink their sales strategies. The past few months have led to an enormous shift in consumer spending…

Just four short months ago, COVID-19 fast-tracked implementation of PFS’ work-from-home (WFH) customer care operations. Within two weeks of social distancing measures being implemented, the PFS team transitioned our on-site customer care operations to a new WFH…

The recent re-opening of non-essential retail has been music to the ears of the public and retailers alike. However, retail as we know it has…

Despite spikes of COVID-19 cases in certain parts of the country, some brick-and-mortar retailers are gearing up for limited reopenings. Malls and grocery stores will…

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes in consumer retail behavior - from the types of goods they buy to their expectation of delivery times.…

COVID-19 has forced many US consumers to alter their shopping preferences. Consumers are now finding themselves shopping with what is available versus what is preferred.…

At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the West in March 2020, it quickly became clear to our team at PFS that our onsite…

Although the fashion landscape currently looks bleak, there may be hope for fashion, luxury and beauty yet, as individual sectors begin to show signs of…

eCommerce has suddenly become the primary sales channel as a result of COVID-19 and retailers are having to find creative solutions to meet consumer demand…

Part One: The Shifting Face of CPG Over the last decade, a common theme that has transcended the retail sector is disruption. We have seen…

The retail industry is changing, fast. Over the past decade, we have seen this sector move to a primarily online function and innovate to meet…

Here we are, less than two weeks away from the start of a new decade. While we may not feel any different waking up on…

Shoppers across the US are in the holiday spirit this year. Consumer spending from the day before Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday exceeded $27 billion and,…

With the holiday season around the corner, fraudsters worldwide are gearing up for the opportunity to take advantage of both merchants and consumers. With fraud…

On the heels of shifting consumer preferences, global policy changes and a steady flow of cyber-attacks, the state of California has put into motion the…

The payments industry has become an ever-changing landscape. Consumer needs are constantly shifting, causing a clear impact on the rate of technological innovation. Particularly with…

In the world of eCommerce, retailers are always looking for ways to cut down on costs and improve their fulfillment operations. To stay ahead, they…

Providing highly responsive, brand-centric customer service is critical for retailers who want to keep up with today’s On-Demand Economy. Many of these retailers are struggling…

The pop-up phenomenon has and continues to remould the retail landscape as we know it – and there’s no sign of this trend slowing down.…

Today’s hyperconnected consumers spend their days hopping from one device to another. Whether at home, at work or out and about, devices are at the…

Now that you have finally recovered from 2018’s tumultuous holiday peak season, guess what… it’s time to start preparing for peak season 2019! Peak Success…

24/7 availability, no hold times, answer thousands of inquiries at once and all with an ever positive attitude – at a glance, chatbots have it…

From pop-up stores to pop-up distribution centers, temporary retail operations are taking modern retail by a storm and quickly becoming a permanent fixture.  Omni-channel advancements,…

eCommerce Packaging Needs Work eCommerce return shipments in the U.S. totaled $32 billion during the 2018 holiday season. An estimated 20-30% of those returns were…

So here we are, smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season! Holiday shipping deadlines are getting closer and closer and the PFS team continues…

Over the weekend (and over the next couple days for some procrastinators) consumers have been rushing to buy last minute costumes, filling their shopping carts…

While we may not be ready to admit it, the 2018 holiday season is nearly upon us. Most businesses have been tweaking their Q4 holiday…

Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice, this is for discussion purposes only. This is PFS's interpretation of the current available research. To understand how…

Has the Wayfair decision left you scratching your head? You’re not alone. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark South Dakota vs. Wayfair decision…

Back in January of 2017 the LA Times ran an article titled, “Bad news for the Strand? Amazon is opening a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Manhattan.”…

Omni-channel fulfillment has become a consumer expectation. Gone are the days when buying online and picking up in-store was an exceptional feature only offered by…

Fulfillment Technologies & Innovations Changing the Game With US eCommerce sales expected to reach $713 billion by 2022 (over $500 billion this year)1, retailers and…

As described by the Reverse Logistics Association (yes, it’s a big deal), “reverse logistics” refers to all activity associated with a product or service after…

Hear that jingle? It’s not a holiday song. In fact, it’s more like “cha-ching” -- the sound of record Cyber Week sales achieved in 2017.…

It’s the same recipe for operations strategy success that we keep hearing about in the eCommerce world. Customers click and expect their items to arrive…

The holidays are all about lists, right? If you’re a retailer, you’ve probably completed everything on your holiday readiness list – merchandising, marketing and content…

We posted a whitepaper earlier this year that studied four different age groups and their shopping habits. Each generation displays unique characteristics, digital maturity, preferences,…

I’ll say it – I was a nerd. The feeling of a new, fat pack of PaperMate colored pens lined perfectly in a ROY-G-BIV row,…

You can’t start preparing for the holidays or peak season sales too soon – but you can begin, too late. Now is the prime time…

With human-like features and a wait-free route to customer service, chatbots create dependable brand relationships with their audience. In our last chatbot post, we learned…