Ocean & Air Costs; B&M Amazon Stores; Online Retailor Survey
Our research indicates shippers should prepare for ocean and air freight costs to be 100% above pre-COVID levels through 2022 as strong demand (ocean) and capacity scarcity (air) persists. The most notable changes over the past 60 days is the stronger-than-expected demand outlooks (inventory orders) for online retailors and higher-than-expected…
Read More
Latest Consumer Insights; Chewy’s 4Q Results; 1Q Amazon Sales Growth
In our recent consumer study comparing seven key online retailers for general merchandise, the majority of consumers reported plans to use the sites for a similar amount of purchases a year from now, with a net 33% expecting to use them for more purchases. Saving time and convenience were the…
Read More
Online Grocery Convenience; Amazon Apparel; Retail Memberships
Based on our recent survey, convenience and saving time were the top two reasons cited by consumers for why they buy groceries online, which aligns with the results of our 2020 survey as well. These are characteristics that should be durable post-pandemic and largely follow why consumers like buying general…
Read More
Walmart Digital Initiatives, Yahoo! Shops, Online Grocery Price Improvements
Walmart has several digital initiatives in place including a push for a more positive Walmart+ experience score, improving pick-up and Walmart Connect capabilities, and growing delivery. Priorities for Walmart Connect include growing offerings, introducing in-store experiences and unifying paid search across OPD and core. Manufacturers have made changes in response to…
Read More
Amazon Order Variability; Amazon Fresh UK; Online Grocery Growth
Despite positive reception to online grocery growth, businesses are frustrated with Amazon’s algorithmic ordering patterns because of demand planning and inventory management. 79% of brands report inaccurate forecasting from Amazon and 95% reported week-to-week ordering variability. Due to this, 71% of manufacturers report that they reference Amazon’s forecasts in the demand…
Read More
Strong Amazon Demand; Target’s Same-Day Delivery Services; Q4 Digital Sales
Our research suggests demand trends remain very strong 1Q to-date and brands and Amazon management alike expect elevated demand to continue for the near term at least. In many categories, Amazon appears to be ordering aggressively in 1Q as it works its way back to healthier in-stock levels. While in-stocks are…
Read More
Club Channel Digital Funding; Shopify Growth; Amazon AVNs
CRC’s recent research on the club channel suggests both Costco and Sam’s Club are coming to vendors asking for digital funding. Our work suggests Costco is still resistant to sacrifice margin within its eCommerce business and is working to get vendors to cover shipping costs, or otherwise charging higher prices…
Read More
Amazon SAS Program; Shop Pay Expands; Amazon 1Q21 Sales Growth
Amazon has increasingly pushed manufacturers to invest in what they now call their Strategic Account Services (SAS) resource [previously known as Strategic Vendor Services (SVS) and Amazon Vendor Services (AVS)]. In our recent manufacturer benchmark, 44% reported currently using the program (vs. 39% in our July 2019 benchmark), and 67%…
Read More
Jeff Bezos’s Transition; Walmart Connect; Amazon 4Q Results
Amazon announced this week that Jeff Bezos would be transitioning from CEO to Executive Chairman, passing the baton to Andy Jassy, long-time CEO of Amazon Web Services. Based on reports, Jassy is a well-respected executive at Amazon, essentially starting and leading the industry-changing AWS business, which some estimate would be…
Read More