FedEx Supply Chain has announced the launch of FedEx Fulfillment, a service designed to meet the shipping needs of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and to challenge to Amazon's dominance of the e-commerce sector, the company says. FedEx Fulfillment delivers orders across multiple channels, including websites and online marketplaces, and manages inventory for participating retailers.

Retailers prepare for months for the all-important holiday season. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the holiday season can account for as much as 30 percent of an individual retailer's total sales. The NRF also notes that the holiday returns process accounts for about 24 percent of returns for the entire year.

Laws and regulations to eliminate human-rights violations in global supply chains are multiplying. But companies shouldn't consider their current lack of "teeth" as a license to ignore them.

Federal regulators are mandating drastic reductions in emissions from heavy-duty trucks over the next 10 years. And truck manufacturers and big shippers alike are applauding the move.

Having weathered numerous downturns in the past, major container lines might have thought they were immune from the laws of supply and demand. Now they know better.

When it comes to e-commerce, one thing is certain: it brings incredibly high return rates. As billions of dollars of apparel purchases shift from physical stores to the internet, there is an imminent need for e-retailers to figure out how to handle the spike in returned merchandise.

Leaders have to be nimble and agile if they are to keep on top of the evolution, particularly in the technology arena, that is roiling their vertical.

Over the years, retailers have become very good at the supply chain - the process of getting goods from the manufacturing plant to the customer. But today, many retailers face a different challenge: taking those goods back, a process referred to as the "reverse supply chain."