Ingram Micro Commerce & Fulfillment Solutions attended Multichannel Merchant’s Operations Summit in Cincinnati. For the first time, Growing Global 2016 was co-located with Operations Summit, demonstrating the need to look at ecommerce and omnichannel from a global perspective.
The five different tracks that were featured included the following: omnichannel and inventory management; executive and management; warehousing, returns, packaging and fulfillment; shipping, delivery and logistics; customer experience and contact center; and the global track (offered through concurrent sessions at Growing Global 2016).
Cross-border considerations
Cross-border sales continue to be a popular topic as more and more companies have exhausted the U.S. market and are looking for new growth opportunities. Many companies are continuing to ship cross-border into new geographic regions or utilize marketplaces as a quick way to enter a new market. Many of the considerations for moving into a new country include payment methods, customer support and shipping.
For payment models, Melissa O’Malley, PayPal’s director of global cross-border trade initiatives, explained how countries around the world have varying ways of payment that are far different than in the U.S. For example, only one percent of online consumers pay with credit cards in China. Many companies entering into a new geographic regions need to take into consideration how they will offer customer support in different languages. For shipping, many new retailers need to assess different taxation laws including duties and taxes centered around DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) and DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) transactions.
Evolution of small-parcel shipping models
One of the most interesting components of the conference was learning what carriers in other countries are doing to support more customer friendly shipping methods and making the returns experience easier. For example, Canada Post has added fitting rooms to some of their Drive-thru Parcel Centres, which allow consumers to try on items at the pick-up center and return immediately. In Australia, Hubbed is utilizing more than 600 newsagents around the country to provide an easy way to pick up parcels and avoid excess charges.
The lowdown on drop ship
One of the most popular sessions was drop ship. Nordstrom outlined their drop ship program and how it has evolved over the years. Nordstrom currently utilizes more than 1,000 vendors to support their drop ship program and offers customers increased styles, colors and sizes online. Everything from packing slips to returns management was covered as more retailers begin to utilize drop ship programs to supplement their online inventory. As a matter fact, Ingram Micro’s Dropship for Retailers solution can help retailers like Nordstrom manage thousands of vendors.
More than 800 attendees came away with practical solutions to help them improve their retail, ecommerce and omnichannel operations.
The five different tracks that were featured included the following: omnichannel and inventory management; executive and management; warehousing, returns, packaging and fulfillment; shipping, delivery and logistics; customer experience and contact center; and the global track (offered through concurrent sessions at Growing Global 2016).
Cross-border considerations
Cross-border sales continue to be a popular topic as more and more companies have exhausted the U.S. market and are looking for new growth opportunities. Many companies are continuing to ship cross-border into new geographic regions or utilize marketplaces as a quick way to enter a new market. Many of the considerations for moving into a new country include payment methods, customer support and shipping.
For payment models, Melissa O’Malley, PayPal’s director of global cross-border trade initiatives, explained how countries around the world have varying ways of payment that are far different than in the U.S. For example, only one percent of online consumers pay with credit cards in China. Many companies entering into a new geographic regions need to take into consideration how they will offer customer support in different languages. For shipping, many new retailers need to assess different taxation laws including duties and taxes centered around DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) and DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) transactions.
Evolution of small-parcel shipping models
Ingram Micro’s Dropship for Retailers solution can help retailers manage thousands of vendors.
In the U.S., small-parcel shipping continues to be one of the largest costs for ecommerce companies. Ship-to-store models, making “free shipping” affordable and mitigating accessorial charges from national carriers and utilizing less conventional carriers are at the forefront of shippers’ minds.
One of the most interesting components of the conference was learning what carriers in other countries are doing to support more customer friendly shipping methods and making the returns experience easier. For example, Canada Post has added fitting rooms to some of their Drive-thru Parcel Centres, which allow consumers to try on items at the pick-up center and return immediately. In Australia, Hubbed is utilizing more than 600 newsagents around the country to provide an easy way to pick up parcels and avoid excess charges.
The lowdown on drop ship
One of the most popular sessions was drop ship. Nordstrom outlined their drop ship program and how it has evolved over the years. Nordstrom currently utilizes more than 1,000 vendors to support their drop ship program and offers customers increased styles, colors and sizes online. Everything from packing slips to returns management was covered as more retailers begin to utilize drop ship programs to supplement their online inventory. As a matter fact, Ingram Micro’s Dropship for Retailers solution can help retailers like Nordstrom manage thousands of vendors.
More than 800 attendees came away with practical solutions to help them improve their retail, ecommerce and omnichannel operations.