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E-commerce: Ocado opens first fulfilment centre in Canada
J&P Comments
Despite the fact Ocado is struggling to meet customer demand in the UK, it is positive that they are continuing with their plans for international expansion and processing orders on behalf of other retailers.
E-commerce: Amazon India strengthens its partnership with Indian Railways by adding 55 railway lanes
In October last year, J&P reported that Amazon India had partnered with Indian Railways to create an efficient parcel transportation network between New Delhi and Mumbai. Amazon India was using 13 railway routes, but it was revealed on Monday that they will be expanding the number of routes to 55 in order to keep up with customer demand during the COVID-19 lockdown. A spokesperson for Indian Railways has said “This enhanced network will enable sellers in Amazon India’s network to ship their products across the country and keep their businesses running.”
J&P Comments
The introduction of 42 new routes will make it possible for orders to be fulfilled quickly and successfully in more locations, and essential items in particular will be easier for Indian customers to access.
E-commerce: eBay announces that sellers can now get parcels collected from the comfort of their homes
eBay UK has partnered with delivery services provider Packlink to help sellers who are on lockdown to make extra money and keep the eBay community safe. The E-commerce giant has announced that it will be able to collect parcels directly from sellers’ doorsteps and deliver them using popular carriers such as Hermes and UPS. This service is available for sellers to use at a cost as little as £2.85.
J&P Comments
The new collection and delivery service will allow sellers to make extra money safely from the comfort of their own homes, and is also designed to help eBay users to sell unwanted items – many second-hand items have recently been appearing on the marketplace.
E-commerce: Amazon partners with food banks to deliver 6 million meals to the vulnerable
Amazon, in co-operation with US foodbanks, has launched operations across seven major US cities to deliver meals to the vulnerable and elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The E-commerce platform plans to deliver a total of 6 million meals by the end of June and will expand the program to 25 US cities and international locations. The vice president of a food bank in San Francisco has said “Amazon has been a huge help with our distribution challenges, by helping to deliver food directly to 9,885 senior households in our community this month.”
J&P Comments
Along with launching its “Ultra Fast Fresh” service in the UK, it is brilliant to see that Amazon is also rolling out this programme in the US to make it easy for citizens to access food. As Amazon is particularly focusing on delivering meals to the elderly in this instance, this demonstrates their willingness to help those who are most vulnerable and cannot leave their homes.
E-commerce: Boohoo saw revenue increase of 44% in 2019
Online UK fashion retailer Boohoo has reported that last year its revenue jumped by 44% to a value of €1.4 billion. It appears that Boohoo group has been performing successfully across all regions, as it also reported that its international revenue made up 45% of Boohoo’s total sales in 2019. In general the company has blossomed in other countries, with revenue abroad increasing to 51%.
J&P Comments
Although Boohoo has generally been very successful in terms of its year-on-year growth, the retailer has not been invincible to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The company stated that “Since the middle of March, trading has been mixed, initially with a market decrease in year-on-year growth.” Hopefully the Group will be able to recover once the pandemic is over.
E-commerce: eBay and NHS collaborate to open online portal for healthcare workers
Top E-commerce player eBay has partnered with the UK’s National Health Service to make it possible for healthcare workers on the frontline to easily access PPE (personal protective equipment). The platform has created an online portal in a matter of days which will allow primary and social carers to order PPE entirely for free from the NHS. Rob Hattrell, vice president of eBay UK, has said “It’s important that we all do what we can to help the NHS at this critical time, we are excited to be a part of this.”
J&P Comments
As NHS staff are putting their lives at risk without proper protective equipment, eBay have demonstrated their excellent sense of social responsibility by launching the new portal for free PPE and together with the NHS they will save lives.
