Quarterly Live Group Demo Watch Now

Sifted logo

3/27/23 Monday Parcel News Update

by Grayson Gilbert

Mar 27, 2023

3 min read

1. FedEx Pilot Warns Time Is Running Out

Capt. Chris Norman, FedEx pilot and Chair of the Air Line Pilots Association’s FedEx group, gave insight to the pilots union’s negotiations with the carrier in this opinion piece delivered to Supply Chain Dive.

Norman shared that promising progress was made in the negotiations (which opened in May of 2022) was made until December. Since then, he alleges FedEx has “refused to provide the compensation necessary for a ratifiable agreement.”

Norman outlined the steps necessary to enact a strike under the provisions of the Rail Labor Act, and that despite their best efforts to reach an agreement, they’re working through those processes.

Perhaps most importantly, Norman addressed FedEx’s efforts to lure business from UPS customers fearing a strike from their Teamsters Union. Norman warned that FedEx “will not be ready to handle an influx of volume until it gets the pilots back on its side.”

Opinion article from Capt. Chris Norman, published by Supply Chain Dive

 

2. Walmart and Target Competing on Last-Mile Front

Two of the nation’s largest grocery chains are battling to dominate the last-mile in same day fulfillment. Walmart is expanding their Spark Driver platform, which matches drivers to local deliveries in an Uber-like experience. In FY 2023, Walmart tripled it’s number of pickup points from 5,000 to 15,000. With these expansions, Walmart says they can reach 84% of American households with the Spark platform.

Target is also investing heavily in last-mile fulfillment partnerships. In 2017, they acquired Shipt, a similar crowd-sourcing delivery platform, to expand their shop-and-deliver capabilities. The acquisition of Shipt allows Target more control over their customer’s experiences with delivery, which matches their customer experience-focused business and brand, compared to Spark’s scaling being a reflection of Walmart’s quantity-over-quality approach to retail.

Rapid local fulfillment presents a massive opportunity for both retailers. Walmart now generates $1 billion in such sales, and Target’s same-day services generated nearly $11 billion last year, roughly 10% of the company’s revenue.

Article from Thomas Lee, The Street

 

3. Amazon Working to Reduce Grouped Delivery Problems

Amazon has launched a “Risk Aware Delivery” program to reduce potential delivery errors at grouped delivery stops. Currently, drivers are able to group all packages at “grouped stops,” such as an apartment complex with several packages to be delivered to, and mark them as delivered. This could lead drivers to miss specific delivery notes for individual packages, according to a company memo regarding the program.

The program uses previous delivery data to flag packages at risk of potential issues and prevent them from being part of a grouped stop. Amazon’s delivery app will notify drivers that certain locations can’t be part of the group delivery, and prompt them to follow the customer’s specific instructions.

Article from Max Garland, Supply Chain Dive

Grayson Gilbert

Grayson is the Marketing Specialist at Sifted. He leads our earned media efforts, podcast production, and review generation, all the while tracking industry news for our team and clients. His media relations skills have landed Sifted’s thought leaders in top publications like FreightWaves, Supply Chain Dive, PARCEL Magazine, and Yahoo! Finance. Connect with Grayson on LinkedIn here.
Topics

Check out related resources at Sifted.

Parcel Carrier Diversification 101

Parcel Carrier Diversification 101

Last mile delivery has never been more important to businesses. In 2023, the global last mile delivery market was ...
Read More
RILA LINK 2024 Recap: The Cutting-Edge of Retail Supply Chains

RILA LINK 2024 Recap: The Cutting-Edge of Retail Supply Chains

At the end of February, supply chain leaders from the nation’s largest retailers converged in Dallas for the ...
Read More
Sifted’s Caleb Nelson Named 2024 “Pros to Know” Award Recipient

Sifted’s Caleb Nelson Named 2024 “Pros to Know” Award Recipient

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Sifted, the trailblazer in Logistics Intelligence™ is proud to announce that Caleb Nelson, ...
Read More
Meet Sifted at LINK 2024

Meet Sifted at LINK 2024

At the end of February, the top supply chain leaders from some of the nation’s largest retailers will converge in ...
Read More
Parcel Carrier Comparison Guide

Parcel Carrier Comparison Guide

In the intricate landscape of parcel shipping today, shippers navigate a complex web of carriers, each with its ...
Read More
Amazon Shipping, Seller Fulfilled Prime, and More: Matt Snyder’s Insights and Advice to Sellers in 2024

Amazon Shipping, Seller Fulfilled Prime, and More: Matt Snyder’s Insights and Advice to Sellers in 2024

Amazon took the supply chain world by storm in 2023. They announced Amazon Shipping, a FedEx and UPS competitor ...
Read More
2024 Shipping Industry Outlook: Top Trends Driving Down Costs + How to Capitalize

2024 Shipping Industry Outlook: Top Trends Driving Down Costs + How to Capitalize

Over the last few years, soaring shipping costs, unpredictable rate hikes, and a challenging logistical landscape ...
Read More
Sifted Celebrates Achievement as 2023 Top Tech Startup by Food Logistics, Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Sifted Celebrates Achievement as 2023 Top Tech Startup by Food Logistics, Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Kansas City, Mo – Sifted, a leader in Logistics Intelligence, has been recognized as a 2023 Top Tech Startup by ...
Read More
11/27/23 Parcel News Update

11/27/23 Parcel News Update

1. Amazon’s Volumes Surpass FedEx and UPS Amazon delivered more parcels in 2022 than UPS, according to internal ...
Read More
11/20/23 Parcel News Update

11/20/23 Parcel News Update

1. USPS Announces Tentative Rate Increases for 2024 The United States Postal Service has announced rate increases ...
Read More
11/13/23 Parcel News Update

11/13/23 Parcel News Update

1. Experts Share Attention-Grabbing Items from 2024 GRIs Supply Chain Dive interviewed industry experts, including ...
Read More
2023 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

2023 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

It’s the most wonderful time of the year? It will be if your customers receive their orders on time. The major ...
Read More

Are you an FBM (fulfillment by merchant) Amazon seller?

Check out our Marketplace Intelligence solutions to protect your bottom line.

Shipping Insights & Alerts
Get updates and track the things impacting your business most

Decision Support
See how supply chain adjustments pay off before you pay out

Carrier Management
Streamline how you manage your carrier operations and contracts

Business Automation
Let software do what it does better than people can

Seller Insights
Measure and monitor with confidence.

Sales Visualization
Shed new light on your sales data.

Fee Analyzer
Understand the impact of ever-changing FBA fees.

FBA Audit & Recovery
Secure money you’re owed from Amazon.

Blog
Discover news, tips, and industry best practices

DIM Weight Calculator
See how DIM is impacting you

Podcast
Hear from industry experts on LeaderShipping

Case Studies
Learn how other brands use
Logistics Intelligence

Carbon Calculator
Calculate your CO2 Emissions

Thought Leaders
Meet the people behind the technology

Guides
Download free reports and expert how-tos

Demo
Get a personalized tour of our software

About Sifted
Get to know Logistics Intelligence

Logistics Intelligence
For parcel shippers

Marketplace Intelligence
For Amazon FBA sellers

Let's get you to the right place!

SIFTED DASHBOARDS
For parcel shippers

AMAZON Marketplace Intelligence

Not sure if you have an account? Email [email protected].