BLOG – North America
A 10-year review for retail – navigating a decade of rapid digitalization
Since 2010, the retail industry has faced a series of rapidly evolving and technology-driven changes. A decade ago marked the beginning of the digital revolution…
EMBRACE THE DIGITAL FLAGSHIP IN 2021
As we prepare to close out 2020, PFSweb, Inc. CEO Mike Willoughby discusses how this dramatic year has transformed retail and how embracing the digital…
Guest Post: Consumer Perspective on Black Friday Shopping Online
Following up on her previous guest post on preparing for holiday shopping online for the first time, Jamie Payne is back with a full report…
Delivering on promotions – resilience is key to surviving increased online demand this peak season
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…
Preparing for last-minute shoppers during a pandemic
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.…
Guest Post: Consumer perspective on holiday shopping during a pandemic
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…
Three Solutions to this Holiday Season’s Last-Mile Delivery Dilemma
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…
Sustaining order visibility: five considerations for brands when scaling up online
Whilst the high street continues to suffer from a reduced footfall, due to current pandemic restrictions, eCommerce has continued to flourish over the last several…
Have generational shopping habits changed for good?
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…
HOW BRANDS CAN PREPARE FOR THE BIGGEST DIGITAL HOLIDAY SEASON TO DATE
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…
How brands can survive and thrive in this new era of Beauty
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…
Preparing for Brexit: How Merchant of Record (MoR) services can help
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…
Peak preparation: scaling customer service operations efficiently
The shift to online shopping is accelerating, even more so due to COVID-19, and retailers are facing mounting pressure to keep up with demands. In…
Rethinking Peak Operations in 2020
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…
DITCH THE DEPARTMENT STORE: HOW DTC BRANDS ARE TAKING BACK CONTROL
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…
Work-from-Home Customer Care: What we’ve learned
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…
What should retailers expect as we begin to emerge from months of lockdown?
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…
WHAT COVID-19 HAS TAUGHT US ABOUT US eCOMMERCE SPENDING
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…
A LOOK AT HOW US AND UK SHOPPERS ARE RESPONDING TO COVID-19
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.…
SHIFTING US CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN THE FACE OF COVID-19
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.…
Substance vs style: balancing celebrity endorsements with a great customer experience
In a world where we’re bombarded with ‘fake news’ and influencers promoting products in glossy lifestyle photos, it seems consumers are wising up to the…
New Work-from-Home solution from PFS Implemented in just two Weeks
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…
COVID-19: There is hope for fashion yet
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…
Pop-up DCs OVERCOME LAST MILE DELIVERY OBSTACLES during COVID-19
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…
What Coronavirus means for eCommerce
As of Wednesday, the 26th of February, the number of Coronavirus cases globally is greater than those in China alone.[1] As the virus continues to…
Legacy To DTC: Retail’s New Cool Factor
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…
Uncovering the factors changing the face of retail: Part one
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…
2020 eCommerce Trends
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…
The Results are in: Cyber Week 2019
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,…
FIGHTING HOLIDAY FRAUD
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…
HOW THE CALIFORNIA CONSUMER PRIVACY ACT IS IMPACTING THE FUTURE OF RETAIL
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…
FOUR TRENDS DISRUPTING THE FUTURE OF ONLINE PAYMENTS
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…
Canada a Possible eCommerce Strategy in light of US-China Tariffs
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…
The hybrid customer care model – effective and affordable support
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 rise of pop-up distribution operations
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.…
Keep up with leading omnichannel retailers
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…
Peak Relief with Fulfillment-as-a-Service
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…
Ensuring a Positive Chatbot Customer Care Experience
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…
Pop-Ups: Temporary Retail is Here to Stay
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,…
Sustainable eCommerce Packaging Saves You Money
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…
PFS Peak 2018 – A Success Story!
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…
Is Halloween the Real Start of the Holiday Season?
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…
FedEx Implements Holiday Peak Schedule
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…
GDPR: Time to Refresh Your B2B Marketing
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…
Online Sales Tax: What to do Now About the Wayfair Decision
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…
A New Chapter for Independent Bookstores
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 OMS – A Requirement for Consumer Satisfaction
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 Changing the Game
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…
What is Reverse Logistics & Why is it Important?
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…
CYBER WEEK 2017: MORE AND MERRIER
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.…
3 Email Marketing Tips to Sleigh Your Holiday Reach
It’s go-time, retailers. With temperatures dropping, prices decline, too – and shoppers have to be in the know to take advantage of your holiday sales.…
Operations Strategy: A Recipe for Fulfillment Success
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…
TOP 5 LIST: LAST-MINUTE HOLIDAY SEO CHECK
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…
SHOPPING HABITS: WHAT’S AGE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
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,…