Amazon announced it plans to hire 80,000 seasonal employees at its 50 fulfillment centers and 15 sortation centers in the U.S. to handle peak demand.

Global e-commerce platform Alibaba recently made headlines with its record-setting New York initial public offering, the largest ever in the United States. The company's aggressive growth aspirations are rooted in the success it has seen in its home country of China, where it is one of the biggest retail players. Alibaba is the Amazon of the Chinese marketplace without equal competition. But how will the company fare in its expansion in the U.S.?

European retailers are increasingly adopting multi-carrier delivery strategies in response to the growing importance of delivery as the final and most critical mile in the consumer journey, according to a Forrester Research survey conducted for MetaPack Group, which provides ecommerce and multichannel delivery technology to retailers.

Flextronics International Inc., a multinational company offering design, manufacturing, distribution and aftermarket services to original equipment manufacturers, won the 10th Annual Supply Chain Innovation Award at the yearly conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, held this year in San Antonio.

Newgistics, which provides end-to-end e-commerce solutions for retailers and brands, announced the international expansion of its parcel delivery and return services. This new offering helps to reduce the costs of cross-border delivery and make it easier for U.S. retailers to access and begin selling into the largest markets overseas, including the U.K., Europe, Asia, Australia, Russia, China and South America.

Amazon cleared $25.6bn in the fourth quarter of 2013. A lot of Christmas wishes were no doubt fulfilled, but that holiday season is likely going to be remembered more for the packages that didn’t ship on time.