Daily LInks
1. Amazon sellers slammed with pandemic-induced supply chain constraints: Consumer demand remains the main driver of global logistics industry growth, with U.S. seaborne imports of leisure products climbing 168.3% in March 2021 versus March 2020 and home furnishings imports rising 136.5% during that period. – Read More on S&P Global
2. To Avoid Brexit Disruption, JD Sports Seeks EU Warehouses: A new 65,000 square-foot site near Dublin will become operational later this year and the company said it’s looking for another even larger facility in mainland Europe to avoid duties and disruptions from customs checks. – Read More on Bloomberg
3. RELATED READ: Companies Consider Destroying Returned Goods to Avoid New Cross-Border Costs, According to BBC Report. “Since January 1, [UK residents] buying goods from the EU – and vice versa – have faced import charges,” with the new rules putting “thousands of specialist online businesses at risk as consumers” – i.e., the importing parties – “on both sides of the Channel balk at having to pay the hefty import fees.” – Read More on TFL
4. Defining a Post-Pandemic Channel Strategy: Shoppers who pick up online orders in store spend more — up to 25% more in some studies. About a third of clothing ordered online is returned versus 8% bought in-store, and customers who try clothing on in an in-store fitting room are almost 7x more likely to buy than those who search on the web. – Read More on HBR
5. The Future of High Heels Looks Wobbly—at Least for Now: Many women had already been moving away from heels pre-Covid with the growing casual-fashion trend. The pandemic accelerated that shift. – Read More on the WSJ
6. Retailers look to innovate and tempt customers back to physical stores: For some time now, retailers have tried to attract customers by creating experiences in store, but they now need to get creative as shopping habits change and customers become more demanding. – Read More on CNBC
