One of the positives to have grown out of the e-commerce boom is the opportunity small and midsize businesses have to garner sales. The small retailer is no longer limited to just its geographic area, now able to reach an audience of millions.
But that does come with a cost — and that is delivery. Shipping goods around the country — and even the world — gets expensive. And while there are hundreds of delivery options beyond the big three of FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service, there are trade-offs that must be made for the smaller retailer.
“The smaller guys, there are some compromises if you want to participate in this shared economy if you want to … keep up with the [larger guys for delivery],” said Jorge Lopera, vice president of global strategy at delivery management company FarEye. “Data is becoming more of a community topic. When you start to think about it, from a retail perspective, you are releasing who is buying and where they are buying but not necessarily what they are buying.”
Lopera told Modern Shipper the smaller brands have plenty of options, but they need to be diligent about who they partner with.