Rohan Thambrahalli, chief executive officer of UpstartWorks, explains how direct fulfillment can serve as a valuable alternative to traditional means of shipping online purchases to customers, especially with the coming of the peak shopping season.

Every year around this time, carriers, distributors and logistics providers gear up for the coming peak holiday shopping season, on which shippers depend for a large portion of their annual revenue. This year, however, is different, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic freefall.

Although the transportation industry was among the earliest adopters of mobile technology, upgrades have been lagging for the last decade.

Spending patterns in the transportation industry are a good barometer of the condition of the economy at large — but the results can be murky.

Making product returns as hassle-free as purchasing is the final frontier for the supply chain.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and a plummeting economy, retailers must nevertheless prepare for the traditional peak shopping season. Some are ready, but many are not.

The future of “last-mile” delivery of e-commerce orders is one of flying drones, robots and driverless vehicles rushing product to our doorsteps. Or so the futurists would have us believe.