Faster, cheaper, better, stronger: e-commerce retailers rush to meet customer delivery demands
Good morning! Happy Monday. We hope you had a great weekend.
“The more I want to get something done the less I call it work.” — Richard Bach, American writer
With the pandemic era came the surge of e-commerce shipping. While the levels have slowed, it has been minuscule. US retail sales online will top $1 trillion this year, almost 10% over 2021. Customers want their stuff, faster and cheaper. Delivery logistics is becoming more complex… so what can be done to make customers happy?
Check out today’s featured article from Fast Company to read about what logistics companies are trying to do in order to keep up with increasingly difficult customer demands, such as speedy delivery for less. ☕️
Featured Article:
Customers want things faster and cheaper. Can logistics operations keep up? | Fast Company
“E-commerce, as you’ve probably heard, is surging. Buoyed by the pandemic, the sector has shown little sign of slowing down even as the world has opened back up.”
Company Culture & Employee Mental Health 🧠
Nearly half of American workers say they feel burned out at work
In an alarming statistic, 43% of American office workers “feel burned out”, according to Slack’s Future Forum, a quarterly survey. Mentions of burn-out on Glassdoor are up 40% as compared to last year, and many experts are questioning what can be done.
Burnout syndrome is a term coined in the 1970s and refers to when workers feel that their jobs have become exhausting. The World Health Organization began recognizing the term as a legitimate occupational phenomenon in 2019, but there are still no long-term studies as to what the consequences of burnout are. While the pandemic measure subsiding was supposed to ease the signs of burnout - which were prevalent in the earlier days of the Covid-19 pandemic - it seems instead to have only gotten worse.
Midterm Elections 🇺🇸
Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem | AP News
In this article, AP News contributor David Klepper writes about the measures social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Youtube are taking as the midterms approach.
The Midterms May Come Down to the Last Gust of Political Wind | Cook Political
In this article, Cook Political Charlie Cook writes about the two closest Senate races in Nevada and Ohio
Control of US Senate could come down to tight Nevada race | AP News
In this article, AP News contributor Rebecca Boone writes about the cutthroat senate race in Nevada between Democratic U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and the Republican challenger Adam Laxalt.
Inflation 💸
Potential recession to land next summer, says former treasury secretary
While predictions are that the recession will be “mild”, Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is echoing what many have been stating: a recession is coming, and the public should be prepared. Summers says that once inflation rates ballooned over 5%, it was almost guaranteed. This past September, inflation rose by 8.2% on an annual basis.
Unemployment is predicted to rise to 6% and the Federal Reserve is expected to raise rates again after their next meeting in early November.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
🏴 England likely boasts the oldest truck driver in the world, owner/operator Brian Wilson. Wilson, at 90 years old, is still roping and tarping loads like a man less than half his age. Coming from Sheffield, England, Wilson drives for E. Wilson and Sons, and has been driving since he was 16 years old. Rock on, Wilson!
🛍 Bend it like bargains. This upcoming holiday season, shoppers across the globe are likely to see huge seasonal sales, to the tune they haven’t seen over the past two years. But despite the temptation, shoppers might not take the bait. Target, Walmart, and Amazon are already heavily discounting merchandise, hoping to get rid of some of the excess products on their shelves. Since these figures started being tracked in 2017, forecasts show that this year is anticipated to have the steepest bargain sales in five years.
iLevel With You
More topics for the average American household to consider…
✈️ Cheap airfare is like gold these days: hard to find. With the holidays closing in, many are also closing their eyes and passing over their credit cards to pay for flights double, or even triple, the normal cost. Despite inflation raising rates, bookings have remained resilient this year after so many spent 2020 and 2021 on the ground. It is likely that airfare will remain high through 2023, as labor shortages in the airline industry remain.
💰 Higher tax thresholds are being set by the IRS - what does this mean for your household? Once tax season rolls around, you may notice a few adjustments. Due to inflation and sky-high costs of gas and food, the Internal Revenue Service announced the tax brackets for 2023 are shifting by about 7%. The standard deduction for married couples, for example, will rise to $27,700 - up from $25,900 last year.
GET SMART
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
🚛 Look out, world - logistics is here! The 2022 State of Logistics Report from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) is proving that logistics will continue to thrive as e-commerce sales continue to flourish. While logistics companies update infrastructure and embrace new technology, several regions are attracting their types of businesses and becoming hubs. Kentucky, for example, is having record-setting growth.
⏰ It’s doesn't sound like the FMCSA priorities are hours of service of ELD’s. That’s the case at least according to FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson, who discussed the matter in a question-and-answer interview with Freight Waves last week. Hutcheson was confirmed at the seventh administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last January and has a had a busy ten months tackling road fatalities with the National Roadway Safety Strategy.
Electric Vehicles 🔋
In this article, Reason Foundation contributor Robert Poole, the Director of Transportation Policy, writes about Denver’s long-range transportation plan and argues for electric vehicle express lanes.
Sales 🧾
Trailer orders on the rise as OEMs prepare for a ‘rapid’ 2023 | Fleet Owner
Fleet Owner contributor Josh Fisher writes about the growing number of equipment orders as carriers brace for a very busy 2023.
Leadership 🏆
Seth writes about Moore’s Law in this article, discussing its connection with the progress being made in a company.
Fuel ⛽️
New England May Face a Gas Shortage This Winter | TT News
In this article, Bloomberg News contributors
Naureen S. Malik and Josh Saul write about New England’s risky winter, as gas shortages loom on the horizon.
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for November 28, 2024, from iLevel Logistics Inc.