Skip to content
MarketScale
‹ Back to IndustriesRetail

eCommerce Puts Strain on Supply Chain

Holiday shopping season is here, and just like everything else in 2020, it looks very different. The pandemic has caused an explosion in eCommerce shopping. In fact, new data from IBM’s U.S. Retail Index reports the pandemic accelerated the shift away from physical stores to digital shopping by roughly five years. With more online shopping comes…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Retail teams put it to work with Sales Enablement.

Share
eCommerce Puts Strain on Supply Chain

Get featured

Want to get featured in MarketScale Retail?

Create a free MarketScale workspace and get your company's expertise featured across our Retail coverage. No credit card, no demo required.

Request an invite

Holiday shopping season is here, and just like everything else in 2020, it looks very different. The pandemic has caused an explosion in eCommerce shopping. In fact, new data from IBM’s U.S. Retail Index reports the pandemic accelerated the shift away from physical stores to digital shopping by roughly five years. With more online shopping comes more pressure on the supply chain and shipping in general. UPS and FedEx are responding by hiring more seasonal staff. But what about small business? Can they compete?

Daniel Litwin welcomed James Chin Moody to talk about how his business Sendle is supporting small business. Sendle is a Sydney-based carrier that specializes in small business shipping and is 100% carbon neutral.

Moody said, “Not only are more consumers shopping online but about one-fourth of our customers just started selling online.”

Small business eCommerce has already seen massive spikes, and it’s not even December yet. So, what do they need to know about holiday shipping?

Moody shared, “Really, they can’t get behind. Before COVID, the focus was on efficiency. Now it’s on having options and alternatives. Many large carriers aren’t even taking new contracts right now, and they’re all charging holiday surcharge fees, as well. We cater to small businesses and are trying to make it as easy as possible for them.”

Besides being small business-focused, Sendle also prioritizes reducing carbon footprints with green packaging. “Consumers do care about a business’ values. In addition to COVID, the earth has seen consequences of climate change—bush fires, typhoons, hurricanes—so we want our customers to responsibly manage their carbon footprint,” Moody noted.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale

Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Retail starts with a company putting its merchandising leads, store operations teams, and category managers on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Category buyers trust operators, so your merchandising leads shorten the distance between first search and first call.

Get your team featuredSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

Follow Retail Insights

Get new expert content in your inbox.

Retail: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Retail buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. See how AI describes your company today, and where competitors show up instead.

Free workspace

You just read one Retail expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your merchandising leads, store operations teams, and category managers into the articles, video, and social content Retail buyers are searching for. Create a free workspace and see it with your own people. No credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What you get, free

Your own MarketScale Studio workspace
One video edit a month, on us
AI writing, editing, and publishing tools
In-platform coaching to learn the system

More Retail Insights

Fuel-selling convenience stores hit an eight-year high even as total count slips

Fuel-selling convenience stores hit an eight-year high even as total count slips

NACS and NIQ TDLinx put the 2026 U.S. convenience-store count at 151,975 locations, down 280 stores. Fuel-selling stores rose to 122,620, the highest in eight years. For operators, the data sharpens where forecourt uptime, fuel margins, and foodservice investments matter most by state and ownership scale.

  • 01A flat national store count can still mean more forecourts to run: fuel-selling locations grew 768 sites even as total c-stores fell 280, per NACS.
  • 02State variation is the real planning variable: Texas alone has 16,504 stores while Alaska has 185, and New York saw the biggest decline (-143), per NACS.
  • 03Ownership mix drives vendor go-to-market: 63% of stores sit with operators at 10 or fewer locations, a reminder that ‘enterprise’ rollouts must work for small fleets too, per NACS.

Sep 13, 2026

Retail Refined Podcast - Sali Christeson

Retail Refined Podcast - Sali Christeson

Sali Christeson, CEO and founder of Argent, discussed her journey from banking and tech into fashion on MarketScale's Retail Refined podcast. She founded Argent to address the gap in professional workwear for women, combining bold, functional designs with a community-building mission to support career advancement.

  • 01A 2015 study showed Sali that clothing significantly affects women's professional perception, motivating her to launch Argent in response to the fashion industry's neglect of working women.
  • 02Argent's mission extends beyond apparel to community building, connecting professional women across industries to foster mentorships and resources for career advancement.
  • 03Argent is expanding direct online channels while innovating physical retail experiences to evolve workwear solutions for shifting professional needs.

Sep 8, 2026

Walmart’s 24% e-commerce jump is turning stores into same-day logistics nodes, and 30-minute delivery is now the new capacity test

Walmart’s 24% e-commerce jump is turning stores into same-day logistics nodes, and 30-minute delivery is now the new capacity test

Walmart's e-commerce segment has seen a 24% increase, leveraging physical stores as logistics nodes for same-day delivery. Currently, 70% of Walmart's online orders are delivered the same day or faster, underscoring the role of store operations in delivery efficiency.

  • 01Walmart's U.S. e-commerce grew 24% in fiscal Q2 2027, with store-fulfilled deliveries growing more than 40%.
  • 0270% of Walmart's online orders are delivered the same day or better.
  • 03With most orders already delivered same day or better, store labor and backroom layout may become the scalability constraint rather than the website.

Aug 24, 2026

Explore More Retail Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Retail.

Browse Retail Hub

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Retail and beyond.

Book a 15-minute demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512