Two weeks today we will be getting eDelivery Expo (EDX 2015) well and truly under way.
For those of you who aren’t aware, and I realise I have talked about EDX a lot in these columns and elsewhere, it will take place on 25 & 26 March at the Birmingham NEC, with opportunities to network, visit exhibitors and learn from some really great speakers.
If you’re still looking for a reason to come along, here’s a list of 10 great reasons to visit EDX put together by our fabulous marketing manager Lucia Ruiz Lopez.
In last week’s newsletter you may recall I talked about Asda. Well, such is the nature of serendipity that Asda feature again this week along with Aldi. Both have had issues with upsetting their neighbours over the thorny problem of replenishing store shelves round the clock.
You can dismiss this sort of thing as a trifling matter, or an excuse for laughable nimbyism. But you’d be wrong. The wheels of our industry are frequently attached to the underside of large vehicles, and while the public clearly love the many advantages of ecommerce, there’s a downside for those who feel disturbed by the intrusion of vehicle noise, and so on.
That’s a situation that is only going to become more prevalent. Especially when you factor in some of the research findings from a recent study carried out by Ipsos for Honeywell, which found 99% of people expect to buy online at some point in the next five years and more than half currently expect to be promised a three hour delivery window when purchasing.
Returning to the theme of trucks and drivers, John Lewis – famed for its foresight and planning – is to hire 41 apprentice fleet drivers, demonstrating once again its commitment to being ready for the future.
Some businesses seem to spot future opportunities first time and time again, while others seem destined to play catch up. Sainsbury’s has announced it will start offering click and collect for grocery shopping at 20 of its stores this month. Only time will tell if the enormous lead rivals like Asda and Tesco already have will mean this is a case of too little too late for Sainsbury. We all know that the early bird gets the worm, but it’s worth considering that it’s the second mouse to arrive at the trap that gets the cheese.
As I said at the start of this column, it’s just two weeks until EDX 2015 kicks off. We’re hoping to catch up with as many of you as we can, so do try to come and meet some of the team. We’ll be out in force on both days, 25 & 26 March, and we’re a very approachable lot.
You’ll find more info on EDX 2015, including details of how to register, here.
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