While the on-demand economy has led to many brick-and-mortar stores declining, NXP Semiconductors reports that omnichannel services continue to grow. Smart supply chain management with advanced tracking and monitoring capabilities enabled by RAIN RFID support both short- and extended-range communication, NXP reports, and are empowering retailers to address a multitude of new use cases.

Jet.com Inc., the online retailer owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and real-estate technology startup Latch are aiming to expand their reach by offering a free system to New York City landlords to potentially make shopping online easier for tenants in nondoorman buildings.

I have in front of me US Patent 9,624,034 B1, titled, Aquatic Storage Facilities. The applicant is Amazon Technologies, Inc., and the idea is to use either man-made pools or natural bodies of water to store goods while waiting for fulfillment orders.

For transportation providers in the e-commerce era, the choice is clear: disrupt, or be disrupted.