Monday Delivery Industry News Roundup, September 23, 2013

Happy Monday, all. OK – the day is half over. You will make it. But if you need a distraction (that’s full of industry news), we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the most interesting stories we’ve spotted on the web:

Sites set sights on same-day delivery via The Columbian

“Silicon Valley tech companies like to move fast. Now they are trying to bring that high-speed innovation to the retail world and break the tradition of failed same-day delivery services. Five months after Google Inc. unveiled an experiment delivering everything from Target bed sheets to American Eagle blue jeans to parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, the company is preparing to expand same-day delivery to more shoppers across the region. Google Shopping Express will add pressure to companies like eBay Inc. that are growing their own same-day delivery programs in what has become a fierce race between tech giants.”

UPS Survey: Global Healthcare Logistics Executives Preparingfor Supply Chain Transformation via Upside Blog

 

“Today {last Tuesday}, we are releasing our 6th annual UPS Pain in the (Supply) Chain survey, conducted by the research firm TNS.  The survey reveals insights into the top challenges facing global healthcare logistics executives and highlights their future investment plans. This year we added new geographies to the survey and probed deeper to uncover strategies that successful healthcare executives are implementing to overcome their top supply chain challenges.”           

And some general business news: Employment law still catching up to social media via The Lawrence-Journal World

“The advent of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have raised new questions about the separation between a person's personal and professional life. But experts in employment law say the case of a Kansas University professor who was suspended this week after posting what some considered to be offensive remarks on Twitter raises a whole host of new legal questions about how far employers can go in holding employees accountable for what they say or do in the realm of social media.”

Image credit: carterse (http://www.flickr.com/photos/australianshepherds/2089122314/sizes/m/in/photostream/)

Monday Delivery Industry News Roundup, September 9, 2013

Image credit: filipe ferreira

Monday is here again, folks. Here’s a short list of industry news articles we found over the weekend.

FedEx Express receives delivery of first 767-300 freighters via Canadian Transportation & Logistics

FedEx makes a few upgrades.

“FedEx Express has received delivery of its first 767-300 freighters, supporting the company strategy to modernise its fleet with more efficient freighters.

‘Today’s delivery of our first Boeing 767 Freighter is another step forward in our fleet modernisation strategy,” said James Parker, executive vice president of air operations, FedEx Express. ‘The 767 is approximately 30 per cent more fuel efficient and has unit operating costs that are more than 20 per cent lower than the aircraft they will replace. The net effect is an aircraft that is more affordable to operate and has lower carbon emissions because of better fuel efficiency.’

The 767 Freighter is an ideal upgrade for the fleet serving the FedEx Express domestic network, providing improved fuel, maintenance and cost savings over the MD-10 freighters it will replace.”

Google, eBay race to offer buyers same-day delivery via The Seattle Times

The same-day boom marches on.

“Five months after Google unveiled an experiment delivering everything from Target bed sheets to American Eagle bluejeans to parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, the company is preparing to expand same-day delivery to more shoppers across the region. Google Shopping Express will add pressure to companies like eBay that are expanding their own same-day delivery programs in what has become a fierce race between tech giants.

Google and eBay are jumping into the hypercompetitive brick-and-mortar retail industry to fend off Amazon.com, which is forging ahead with its own same-day delivery tests. By offering their services to struggling retailers and capturing shoppers who buy everything from cars to toilet paper online and want it delivered to their front door within hours, Google and eBay may corner one of the few retail markets Seattle-based Amazon hasn’t already taken.”

Fresh Coffee, Delivered Weekly to Your Doorstep (with a Moustache) via Tech Cocktail

 

A fresh, fun take of coffee delivery.

“The race for faster, fresher and on-demand continues. Amazon is entering the food delivery space with Amazon Fresh, subscription services like Birchbox bring shopping samples to your door, and on-demand services like Uber and Lyft provide rides with a single click. I had the chance recently to try a new subscription service named Moustache Coffee Club.

The Moustache Coffee Club selects a different coffee every week from a variety of top roasters, such as Intelligentsia and Handsome Coffee. Then the coffee is shipped free immediately after roasting, for optimal freshness (weekly or bi-weekly subscription depending on how much coffee you drink).”

Industry News Recap: Fuel Savings, a New Logistics Service, and a Quirky Delivery Service

Image credit: DaveBleasdale

It’s Monday, which means you’re likely looking for easy-to-digest news bits. We totally get that! We’ve rounded up a few fun (and interesting) industry news stories for you to read while starting your custom-made, early-in-the-week intravenous coffee drip:

Get potential fuel savings for your fleet with Eco-flap:

The Eco-flap is marketed as a fuel-saving product for smaller fleet owners:

“This new spin on the traditional mud flap cuts down on wind resistance and lowers fuel costs, allowing owners to operate a more energy-efficient fleet. The team at Chattanooga, Tenn.–based Anderson Flaps didn't set out to create a greener mud flap. They actually set out to create a cleaner one. The company hoped to revamp mud-flap design to allow for better passage of air through the flaps. The freer passage of air would help reduce the accumulation of grime by allowing water or mud from tire spray to drain on the flap, as opposed to piling up on top of it.”

-- “These Mud Flaps can Help Trucks Slash Fuel Costs,” via Popular Mechanics

Sterman Masser Inc., a Penn. potato company, is getting into logistics:

“Sterman Masser Inc., an eighth-generation potato growing company, has launched Masser Logistics Services to provide delivery service to its customers as well as those of Keystone Potato Products and Fresh Solutions Network. Masser Logistics Services, like Sterman Masser Inc. and Masser Potato Farms, is based in Sacramento, Pa. The company owns 15 trucks, and all are equipped with auxiliary power units to reduce fuel consumption and extend engine life, according to the news release.” -- “Pennsylvania Potato Company Launches Logistics Firm,” via The Packer

 

And a bit of fun delivery news that’s local (at least to the Courier Magazine team):

The Birdfeeder LLC, a new small delivery business, will deliver almost any convenience store product to Lawrence, Kan., students:

“Birdfeeder is geared to students and the late-night crowd. For the moment, its delivery area is between Massachusetts and Iowa and Ninth and 19th streets. Hours are 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Customers place an order by calling, texting or tweeting. His info is available on the Birdfeeder LLC Facebook page.” -- “Late-night convenience store delivery service begins operations in student neighborhoods,”via The Lawrence-Journal World

Blogging for Your Business Part 1: How to Build a Useful Blog for Your Delivery Company

Image source: futureshape

You have a slick business website and have taken the time to create a few social media accounts for your company. All of these things are marvelous! But do you have a business blog?

 

You may have never started a blog because you thought creating and writing posts would be too much work. And as a blogger I understand that -- blogging is difficult and at times it’s time consuming. Also: No matter how great of a blog manager you are it can take a long time to find your audience and for your blog to find its voice.

But there are many benefits of business blogging:

• Blogging allows your employees to discuss the aspects of the company they enjoy.
• If you’re blogging (and if you’re the president or owner of the company you should be), the research for future blog posts allows you to easily stay current with trends in the industry.
• The more true and fact-filled things you write the more authority you give your business.
• Blogging allows your customers to easily interact with you and your business associates.

-Source: “5 Reasons Your Business Should Be Blogging,” by Marcus Sheridan, from Social Media Examiner

So, just how do you successfully start your company’s blog? According to the article, “How to Plan Your Business Blog,” by Amanda DiSilvestro, it’s important to plan your blog before you begin writing or promoting your services via your new, shiny blog. To make an effective blog, consider the following:

• “Who is my target audience, and what do they want to read?
• Am I going to allow guest bloggers on the blog?
• How often should I post to the blog?
• How can I track its success? What will I consider success?”

-Source: DiSilvestro, Social Media Today

DiSilvestro also provides some easy-to-follow steps that will help new bloggers plan their blogs:

Know your readers: You need to know who your audience is before you start to create content. Attract new readers (aka customers) to your blog by conducting some simple SEO keyword research. “Utilize keyword research to determine what a lot of people are searching for on Google,” DiSilvestro said. Learn more about keyword research over atCopyblogger.

Choose a snappy name: Name your blog something that will make your current customers smile and also will attract new readers. Also: Make blog titles intriguing. Starting titles with, “5 Ways to…,” or “How to,” will make your blogs more clickable.

Easy communication: Link to related articles and to your company’s social media sites often. Also: Include an “opt-in offer that readers can fill out if they want to contact you about more information,” DiSilvestro said.

Update often: Recruit employees to write blogs and come up with blog topics. And if there’s no one at your company who wants to write, consider hiring a freelance writer, or asking guest bloggers to contribute to your content. “Generally you should try to produce most of your content in-house at the start so that readers can see you really know your stuff. When you do allow the occasional guest blogger,” DiSilvestro said.

Don’t push yourself too hard: Posting once a week is enough, but two to three posts per week is ideal. “The more content you have the easier it will be to promote that blog; not to mention the more chances you have to really ramp up your SEO (blogs are an excellent way to improve the SEO of your website),” DiSilvestro said.

Part 2 of this discussion will examine how people with existing business blogs can improve their blogs and attract more customers.

Courier News Roundup

Image source: Lydia_shiningbrightly

Woo, boy. We’re super busy here at Courier Magazine, so this week’s post is going to be super short, but still packed with information.

Over the past week we’ve clicked across a few interesting stories that relate to the courier and delivery industry. Here are a couple of the stories that stood out:

"JumpTech adds mapping to automated proof-of-delivery system," via Fleet Owner

“Jump Technologies (JumpTech) recently announced that it has added mapping capability to JumpTrack, its cloud-based, automated proof-of-delivery (POD) solution that leverages standard smartphones and tablets to enable drivers to capture signatures while allowing customers to check delivery status. The POD function now also records the actual geo-location of where the signature was captured.” – to read more click to Fleet Owner

"Fleet maintenance: Cleanable and reusable filtration devices from Pure Power," via Utility Products

“Utility Vehicles and more: Pure Power! Incorporated (PPI), a provider of filtration technologies, announced the issuance of their 3rd patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office. Their most recent patent is for an O.E.M. Replacement Drop-in Cartridge Oil Filter for cars and trucks. PPI’s newest patent also includes Drop-in Cartridge Filters for Fuel, Hydraulics and other applications.” – to read more click to Utility Products

And we’re back!

We’re going to get this blog running again. Our plan is to post fresh content and commentary about courier industry news. We’ll also post extra interviews and Q&As that don’t appear in the print Courier Magazine. And from time to time, we’ll write about social marketing, small business marketing and HR tips. We’d love to get your feedback on what we post, so please feel free to comment! If you have content ideas or news tips, don’t hesitate to contact us (we’re at -- social@couriermagazine.com ).

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