Bringoz Industry Weekly 8/31

obomart has unveiled a new autonomous delivery vehicle. Home Depot is investing in faster order fulfillment to bolster its customer experience. Walmart’s U.S. store-fulfilled delivery sales jumped nearly 50% last quarter. Read about these stories and more in our weekly industry news roundup.

Robotics startup Robomart has unveiled a large delivery vehicle that can carry up to 500 pounds and is about the size of a shuttle bus. The interior of the vehicle, dubbed the RM5, includes 10 lockers that can be filled with customer orders. The autonomous vehicle has 50 times the capacity of a drone or a small sidewalk robot. The company is planning to create its own app for customers to scroll and place orders from participating retailers. Read more.

Home Depot is investing in faster order fulfillment to bolster its customer experience. The home improvement retailer sees a double-digit increase in spending from customers who utilize faster delivery options. These customers shop more frequently in-store as well as online. Home Depot is using machine learning to determine whether orders should be delivered from a store or fulfillment center and added more dedicated order fulfillment associates to its stores. Read more.

Walmart’s U.S. store-fulfilled delivery sales jumped nearly 50% last quarter amid the retailer’s ongoing push to accelerate shipping speeds. About one-third of deliveries from stores in recent weeks arrived in three hours or less, with 20% of that portion arriving to customers in 30 minutes or less. Walmart is also working to boost delivery speeds for third-party sellers leveraging its fulfillment capabilities. Read more.

Online shopping growth has created both opportunities and challenges for third-party logistics providers, who play a critical role in enabling seamless order fulfillment. From startups to global enterprises, companies increasingly rely on third-party logistics providers to keep up with online shopper demands. Here’s a look at how the rise of eCommerce is driving changes in 3PL services. Read more.

For many retailers, sales spike around holidays, seasonal events, and promotional periods. While these peaks can be lucrative, they can also overwhelm businesses. By partnering with third-party logistics providers, companies can handle the busiest months without losing efficiency. Here’s a look at how 3PLs help companies navigate demand spikes while keeping customers happy. Read more.

Retail fulfillment is a critical aspect of the customer experience. Customers expect fast and reliable delivery options that fit their lifestyle. The pressure is on for warehouses, fulfillment, and distribution centers to continue to evolve in order to minimize delivery costs and increase fulfillment speed and efficiency. Here are some strategies that can help retailers improve their fulfillment offerings to meet customer expectations and increase customer satisfaction. Read more.