Supply Chain & Merchandising

The giant of online retailing apparently is developing a taste for brick-and-mortar.

In news that is likely to set off a wave of speculation, Amazon confirmed it will open its second physical bookstore, this time at Westfield UTC mall in San Diego, California. Amazon Books is expected to open at the open-air shopping center sometime this summer.

Soon Canadian technology enthusiasts will have a new, faster option for fulfilling online purchases.

Digital computer and electronics retailer Newegg is opening a physical pickup center at its warehouse in Vancouver. In September 2015, Newegg sought to decrease the time and cost associated with order fulfillment to customers in Western Canada with the opening of its Vancouver warehouse.

Adding the pickup center now gives customers in the Vancouver area the chance to fulfill their orders the same day, with no delivery fee.

Ikea had submitted plans to build its ninth store in the state of California, in the Bay Area suburb of Dublin.

Pending approvals, Ikea could begin construction of the store in spring 2017, with an opening in summer 2018. The retailer plans to evaluate potential on-site power generation to complement its current U.S. renewable energy presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations.

As the notion of channel conflict subsides, consumer packaged goods companies who don’t elevate their digital game are playing to lose and a new study from a two industry leaders shows just how much.

Albertsons, the second largest grocery chain in the United States, has selected a new partner for point-of-sale data, consumer panel insights and strategic growth initiatives to support joint business collaboration.

Customers’ heightened expectations for a seamless experience are creating new profit pressures for retailers, including coping with increased return volumes. Shedding light on the new supply chain challenges associated with executing an omnichannel strategy is a new series of whitepapers from reverse logistics leader Genco. Learn more.

Reducing expenses and increasing prices are two ways for a company to make money, and Instacart is reportedly doing both.

According to the San Francisco Business Times, Instacart is reducing how much drivers get paid for each delivery, as well as the commission paid on each item. In the San Francisco market, the pay per delivery will be reduced 63% to $1.50 from $4.00, while commission per item will be cut 50% to 25 cents from 50 cents.