Blog
Past the parcel – Amazon vs. Independent BPO
The fulfillment process encompasses much more than simply shipping orders to customers. Warehouse management, overseeing inventory capabilities, building positive relationships with reliable carriers, customer service…
Personalized Packaging Is the ROI Driver Your Business Needs
You don’t have to be a toddler to love the box as much as what’s in it. The same can be said for businesses looking…
Unboxing Experience: How QR Codes are Accelerating Digital-First Retail
In recent years, unboxing videos have grown from an internet fad to a powerful eCommerce marketing tool. As a staple of YouTube and TikTok, unboxing…
Meeting Customer Service Expectations During the Busiest Season
Many retailers currently facing significant hurdles, including labor shortages, major supply chain delays and high consumer demand, may feel underprepared for inevitable spikes in activity…
Learning to Ride the Wave: How Brands Can Keep Up with Unpredictable Retail Spikes
Throughout the summer season – to the excitement and rush of the pre-holiday peak - there are a number of retail events that can be…
A Flawless Fall: 6 Keys to Peak Preparedness
Black Friday through Cyber Monday, 2020, was the first stress test of the capabilities retailers had put into place to address last year's anticipated crush…
Worth the Wait: Speed vs. Sustainability in Last-Mile Delivery
By Rebecca Baumgartner Slow delivery is fatal in eCommerce – at least that’s the received wisdom. However, industry researchers are increasingly finding that consumers are…
Is Sustainability Sustainable?
Sustainability has been a growing concern for many in recent years, but the toll of the pandemic has accelerated concerns from retailers and consumers alike.…
Outsourcing Omnichannel Operations: Identify the Best BPO for Your Brand
Omnichannel retailers are already implementing plans to execute both in-store and online operations in advance of 2021's peak holiday shopping season. But many are discovering…
The Time is Now: Are You Ready to Take Advantage of Cross-Border Retail?
Today, 2.1 billion consumers around the world are turning to eCommerce to access the latest brands, presenting retailers and brands with the exciting opportunity to…
Which eCommerce BPO Can You Trust with Your Brand?
A study at the conclusion of the peak shopping season 2020 revealed that 54% of retailers plan to outsource some or all of their digital…
The eCommerce VAT Shift: 1 July 2021
With the significant number of online retailers trading across the European Union nowadays, and more springing up as a result of the pandemic in this…
Experientialism: Keeping the High Street Relevant in a “Digital-First” Era
The reopening of the UK high street came as a momentous occasion as consumers flocked to non-essential stores for the first time after months of…
Mastering Multi-Node Fulfillment in the Digital Age
As brands and retailers strive to embrace digital-first retail, a siloed approach to digital and physical shopping is going to make things very difficult for…
BPO Poser vs. Pro Infographic: How to Spot the Real Deal
In response to the dramatic increase in eCommerce demand beginning in 2020, a wave of new BPOs have popped up, recognizing an opportunity to take…
Navigating Demand for Warehouse Space with Alternative Fulfillment Solutions
As brands and retailers prepare for Peak 2021, a shortage of warehouse space is cause for concern for many. However, alternative fulfillment solutions can help…
Shoptalk Creates a New Space for Female Empowerment
The disruption caused by COVID-19 in 2020 has amplified the struggles facing women in the workplace, and particularly woman in leadership positions. After more than a year of…
Infographic: Overcoming the Physical Disconnect
Download our Physical Disconnect report to establish how you can build the bridge between the digital channel and the brick-and-mortar experience, ensuring customer loyalty towards…
24 Karat Operations: How Can Luxury Retailers Protect Their Brand Online?
The accelerated focus on digital sales beginning in 2020 has forced luxury brands to develop new strategies to meet shifting customer expectations. Explore how luxury…
Guest Post: Consumer Perspective on the Sportswear Sprint from Brick-and-Mortar to “Digital First” Retail
By James Worthington Consumers, over the past year, have experienced significant change across retail verticals. Those attuned to purchasing sportswear in-store, experienced a unique challenge…
Capacity Crunch: Fighting eCommerce Growth with Alternative Fulfillment Solutions
The demand on eCommerce; a facet of retail already surging pre-pandemic, soared almost overnight when the pandemic hit. Demand is expected to continue after the…
Omnichannel – the Key to Navigating the Retail Storm
The recent peak season, while one of the toughest yet, highlighted some of the key strategies needed to weather the pandemic storm. And now, as…
Seeing Red: The Changing Role of Promotions
The fact that promotions can drive sales is probably as old as commerce itself. But in a digital-first, eCommerce world, the role of promotions has…
Fulfilling the Promise of Omnichannel Retail: New Seasonal Study Details How Retailers Can Win in a Digital-First Future
Coming after a year of economic contraction and retail disruption, the peak holiday shopping season of 2020 threatened to be brutal on retailers. Perennial challenges…
Flexible Fulfillment – Keeping up with Omnichannel Demand in a Post-Brexit Landscape
With the impact of Brexit starting to be felt in eCommerce circles, changes to the traditional fulfillment model need to be made. Realizing the benefits…
Green with Envy: Setting Sustainable eCommerce Brands Apart
Sustainability remains high on the priority list for eCommerce for 2021. Brands and retailers need to determine their chosen strategies to remain commercially competitive,…
PFS 2020 Peak Performance Highlights
A look at our peak performance highlights emphasizes how a powerful trifecta of business continuity, adaptability and scalability equipped PFS clients to rise to the…
A Case for Outsourcing your eCommerce Operations
Digital-first retail will take center-stage in 2021. By outsourcing eCommerce operations, brands and retailers can quickly get operations up to speed so they can survive…
Brexit Top 10 Tips
The seemingly elusive Brexit deal has been done. So, what’s next? Here are our Top 10 need to know tips for streamlining your eCommerce Brexit…
Brexit eBook: Navigating the Unknown
The PFS Brexit eBook considers the key issues facing the global eCommerce landscape following the door shutting on the Brexit transition period as of 1st…
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…
Forging a Smooth Path for UK Retailers Post-Brexit
As the clock ticks down on one of the most unique peak seasons, and the door shuts on the Brexit transition period, are UK retailers…
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…
The End of the Brexit Transition: Navigating the New Customs Landscape Post-Brexit
For eCommerce retailers, Brexit preparations may have been put on the back burner following the arrival of a global pandemic. But as the clock ticks…
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…
Peak Season Preparations Help Retailers Ready for Brexit
For many retailers, Brexit plans were derailed at the onset of COVID-19. Now, with just one month to go before the deadline, brands and retailers…
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…
The Final Countdown: are Retailers Cutting it Fine with Their Brexit Preparedness?
A recent retailer survey on Brexit preparedness reveals only half of UK retailers believe they are prepared for Brexit. How can your business make sure…
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 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…
Make Way for the New “Conscious Consumer” – Acting Ethically and Sustainability Will Be Key for Brand Success
Since the pandemic began some months ago now, a lot has changed for society. One of the more positive outcomes has been the increased awareness…
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
With peak season just around the corner, what can online retailers be doing to ensure their customers are supported, especially with COVID-19 continuing to cast…
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…
PFS & LiveArea Research | Consumerism vs. Conscious Commerce: Striking the Balance
Section 1: Sustainability 2020 has been a year of great change for consumers and retailers alike. Buying habits have been hugely affected, with the closure…
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…
Cross-Border Supply Chain Continuity – The Best Way to Prepare for Brexit
For any retailer shipping into or out of the UK, Brexit will create an “unknown” step in the supply chain as it relates to the new customs border and the taxes, duties, tariffs and VAT changes…