The number of new Amazon aggregators being funded by investors and the amount of funding for aggregators have both fallen by almost 50% in the first half of this year, compared with the first half of 2021. Marketplace Pulse founder Juozas "Joe" Kaziukenas attributes the decline to increasing costs for capital, flat e-commerce growth and aggregators' inability to succeed as Amazon sellers.
Warehouse operators can alleviate labor shortages and space constraints, increase productivity and improve safety by adopting automation, writes Will Quinn, director of industry solution and strategy at Infor. Automation also benefits customers by "reducing errors, increasing customer satisfaction, reducing returns, and correcting shipments," Quinn writes.
The effort to move more trucking and delivery fleets to electric vehicles to cut carbon emissions is likely to be a process rather than an immediate shift, writes Michael Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. "When it comes to electrification, it's not all or nothing," Roeth writes. "As we sit here today, there are many instances where EVs are already being successfully used to move freight."
Craft Ventures Operating Partner Justin Turner says business-to-business marketing personnel have to be intentional about resetting their company priorities as the economy heads toward a downturn. Freelancers may be a smart investment, since they are generally flexible and can bring subject matter expertise quickly, Turner writes.
Salespeople can use the "JOLT" method to help customers make a final buying decision by limiting risk, minimizing distracting information and making recommendations, write DCM Insights founding partners Matthew Dixon and Ted McKenna. "In order to convince the customer that they are in good hands -- that their rep will guide them to the best decision possible -- best reps look to demonstrate their own expertise and credibility," they write.
Executives facing complex systems must navigate them carefully because unexpected results -- both positive and negative -- can emerge at the extremes, writes Rita McGrath. McGrath provides examples of success with complex problems, such as Amazon's venture into voice-enabled technologies, as well as failures.
Blaming others can undermine credibility, put people on the defensive and harm relationships, writes Gregg Vanourek, who recommends taking responsibility for actions, practicing empathy and collaborating with others to find positive solutions. "Ultimately, the allocation of blame matters much less than resolving the issues well," Vanourek writes.
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