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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…

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eCommerce Puts Strain on Supply Chain

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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.

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