The number of merchants using Fulfillment by Amazon increased 70 percent in 2016. The logistics service lets merchants send goods to Amazon warehouses and pay a fee for packing and shipping online orders to customers.
UPS expects to deliver 1.3 million packages back to retailers on Jan. 5, which is celebrated by the delivery service as “National Returns Day.”
FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. expect to set another record for packages handled this holiday season, fueled by an estimated 17 percent jump in online spending. Indianapolis is home to FedEx’s second-busiest package hub.
Amazon.com Inc. has a massive network of distribution centers across the country that includes several fulfillment centers in Indiana. But even those aren’t enough to keep up with demand for fast shipping.
Amazon told IBJ it would hire thousands of seasonal workers in Indiana, including 6,000 at four facilities in the Indianapolis area.
The retailer announced that it has acquired a 937,000-square-foot distribution center in Plainfield where it hopes to hire 900 employees by early 2020.
Online shoppers want their packages—now. And Amazon is spending billions of dollars to make sure that happens by beefing up its distribution network.
The U.S. Postal Service says select post office retail operations throughout Indiana will open for four hours Sunday.
The logistics and costs of same-day delivery—the fuel, labor, infrastructure and other costs—have been difficult challenges to surmount.
The delivery company predicted Monday that shipments from Black Friday through Christmas Eve will rise 12.4 percent over last year, to 317 million pieces.
UPS is raising ground, air and freight rates by averages of around 5 percent this year as it seeks to cover rising labor and equipment costs.
Google Express users can shop online from a number of national retailers and get delivery the next day. Stores include Costco, Toys R Us, Fry’s Electronics, Kohl’s, Walgreens, Staples, Barnes & Noble, PetSmart, Ulta and others.
The company says it will bring on 1,400 new workers at central Indiana fulfillment centers in Indianapolis, Plainfield, and Whitestown, as well as an additional 700 workers at its Jeffersonville location in southern Indiana.
E-commerce powerhouse Amazon on Thursday began offering free same-day delivery service in some cities, including Indianapolis, to its Prime loyalty club members.
United Parcel Service Inc. said Wednesday that it will handle 585 million packages worldwide in December.
FedEx, which operates several facilities in Indianapolis employing thousands of workers, said the peak day is likely to be Dec. 15, when it expects to handle 22.6 million shipments around the world.
Several sprawling distribution centers have been built, or are under construction, to ship directly to consumers.
Rival UPS says it will hire up to 95,000 seasonal workers. Both companies are benefiting from growth in online shopping.
Rural carriers earn $16.25 per hour and receive equipment maintenance allowances. They may be required to use their personal vehicles, but are compensated for it.
As consumers, our need for instant gratification has never been greater, as evidenced by the rise of e-commerce. Shopping online and receiving an order that same day or the next is replacing the expectations of old, when we received our orders in a week or so.
