Everyone becomes an expert on shipping this time of year, as they patiently wait for their ordered gifts to arrive before the holidays. We know just how much work is going on to help Santa behind the scenes. Our hats are off to all of the elves around the world making logistical magic happen. Did you see the trend that has gone viral on social media? Online shoppers are so thankful for all of the hustle the delivery drivers are doing, they are placing baskets of snacks out for them.
I. Today (December 16) is Free Shipping Day. Expect for many, many orders to be placed today as customers take advantage of deals that are guaranteeing them delivery before December 24th. Back in the Spring Evans Distribution Company shared some interesting insight on the logistics of free shipping.
“Don’t overlook the logistics side of the free shipping offer. Not only do you have the consideration of getting your product(s) to your customers for free, but you must also consider, and factor the possibility of returns and how that works. More commonly than not, the seller will pay for the return shipping, unless explicitly stated prior to the sale. Your free shipping could end up costing you two times what you anticipated if your supply chain is not optimized for this.”
II. Are UPS and FedEx ready for free shipping day? The Wall Street Journal is reporting, “United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. are straining to keep up with holiday shipping volumes that have blown past expectations, delaying the delivery of some of the millions of online orders shoppers have placed since Thanksgiving.” They continue with, “Already in advance of the busy holiday season, both UPS and FedEx had extended delivery windows on some routes, suspended delivery guarantees and refunds for certain weeks and stopped promising to deliver express packages by a certain time in some cases.” The article takes a deeper look at what could be some big problems in the supply chain.
III. It’s going to get interesting out on the roads. The U.S. Transportation Department has proposed, “all new cars and trucks to be able to “talk” to one another using short-range wireless technology to potentially avoid tens of thousands of crashes annually.” The technology here is amazing. From the article on Reuters:
“Talking cars and trucks would use dedicated short-range communications to transmit data up to 300 meters, such as location, direction, and speed, to nearby vehicles. That data would be updated and broadcast up to 10 times per second to nearby vehicles, which can identify risks and provide warnings to drivers to avoid imminent crashes.”
IV. The next generation of the self-driving car will be created in Michigan. Production begins in early 2017 in Oakland County. GM’s announcement comes a week after Gov. Rick Snyder signed the SAVE Act legislation, a set of four bills that allow autonomous vehicles on Michigan roads and encourages their development here.
Image Credit: MobiusDaXter (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons
As of September 8, 2020, Crimson & Co (formerly The Progress Group/TPG) has rebranded as Argon & Co following the successful merger with Argon Consulting in April 2018.
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