The evolution of e-commerce, with the need to meet customer demands for ever-faster delivery, requires a whole new approach to local fulfillment, says Jake Heldenberg, senior sales consultant with Vanderlande.

James Thomson, partner with Buy Box Experts, discusses how e-commerce is being transformed by the coronavirus pandemic — and how consumer buying patterns might be changed permanently.

Automation is essential to modern-day e-commerce, but humans remain in the picture. Art Eldred, client executive, systems engineering with Vargo, discusses the challenges involved in striking the perfect balance between the two.

Thomas O’Connor, senior director analyst with Gartner, relates the lessons that manufacturers and retailers can learn from China, which is just now emerging from lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Autonomous-vehicle and drone technologies have been advancing steadily in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic, however, could serve to accelerate development of those innovations.

Omnichannel retailers face many challenges in satisfying customer demands. Justin Cramer, co-founder of ProShip, discusses how they can make the best use of technology to enhance service while decreasing operational costs.

Joe Thull, head of North American with Radaro, describes the unique challenges faced by the three elements of the retail sector: the customer, the retailer, and logistics providers.

In a time of increasing customer demand, robotics technology is helping e-commerce sellers to manage forward inventory and next-day delivery, says Jim Serstad, vice president of product development with Tompkins Robotics.