During 2020 and 2021, we've seen nostalgia everywhere. It makes sense, right? There's no better time to pine for the past and relive happy memories than when we're stuck at home during lockdown. Nostalgia has made its way into every walk of life, from our wardrobes to our Instagram feeds.
From the outset, COVID-19 has disrupted many industries, retail being just one. With 56% of global retailers reporting moderate disruption to their supply chains and 12% reporting heavy disruption1 the pandemic has led to a need for clear visibility over the structure of supply chains. Warehousing and logistics platform Trident Worldwide discuss everything businesses should know to plan for demand.
Amazon Business is a global procurement solution now used by more than five million business customers, ranging from sole proprietors to multinational enterprises with tens of thousands of employees on a single account. Since launching in the U.S. in 2015, we have expanded to eight additional countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada and India – and reached $25 billion in worldwide annualised sales, more than half of which are from selling partners.
The current world we live in is encouraging us to lessen our impact on the environment. One of the most important topics right now is making sure we buy from companies which are not only sustainable but also ethical. Sadly, even in the 21st century, we hear about companies that exploit workers and use unsustainable ingredients and processes. Boohoo was criticised for exploiting workers by paying them less than the minimum wage, as well as providing no COVID-19 protection in its Leicester factory.
Forget remote working, it’s all about asynchronous working thanks to an increase in global teams becoming the norm and changing the traditional workplace. Departing from the classic in-office, same-country model, global teams are creating a robust new workforce, global teams create asynchronous working styles that go against conventional practices.
The relationship between employee engagement and customer satisfaction has been well established across a variety of sectors, with the link between the two twice as strong when employee satisfaction is particularly high. This connection is especially important where customers rely heavily on customer service personnel to help them through emotionally charged experiences.
Interest in setting up an online business in the UK is up by 555% compared to last year, as the country continues to navigate through this financial crisis.
The unprecedented national debt created by the impact of the Covid pandemic means Chancellor Rishi Sunak could not produce the Budget to save many struggling SME businesses, fears the e-commerce expert ParcelHero.
The UK construction industry has found itself in somewhat of a mess since the completion of the last-minute Brexit deal last year. Many of you will remember the stories of shipping issues that were faced prior to Christmas, with ports clogged up and stock sat in the back of transit vans and warehouses for weeks on end. That has led to businesses and suppliers being short on products and supplies and, ultimately, bearing a great deal of consumer frustration. January felt like a perfect storm, a combination of sky-high demand in an industry that was unable to prepare properly due to a lack of clear guidance. Both of which resulted in logistical chaos.
COVID-19 has played a huge role in changing the way businesses, and individuals, operate across the globe, with many company owners opting to permanently walk away from their city center offices in favour of home working, and employees taking time off work due to furlough schemes. Additionally, in order to save money, several businesses have also had to put a ‘pause’ on recruitment and growth plans due to an uncertain economic climate brought about by the pandemic.
In June last year, Mandata Group acquired Returnloads.net the UK’s leading freight exchange provider helping manufacturers, shippers, and distributors find new transport suppliers, as well as enabling transport operators to expand their networks and find new work.
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) economy figures show businesses are reporting spiraling Brexit challenges. Doubt has also been cast on the viability of the Northern Ireland protocol, says the international delivery expert ParcelHero. Transport costs, border disruption and customs duties problems soared in the two-week period between 24 January and 7 February. ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT, says the new figures highlight the full impact of Brexit on businesses.
