The perceived simplicity of ecommerce transactions stands in contrast to the complexity of how physical products reach consumers. From point of sale purchasing and package tracking to fulfillment and returns, the underlying logistics of running an online business are complex.
As ecommerce continues its ascent, a growing number of startups have developed technology to enable merchants to do their #1 job of focusing on end consumers and their growing expectations, while mitigating the complexity around the “physical” side of online commerce. Today’s episode is for those interested in evolution in the underlying logistics layer of commerce.
Greylock general partner Mike Duboe talks with two experienced operators in the logistics side of the sector: Casey Armstrong, who is the Chief Marketing Officer at ecommerce fulfillment services provider ShipBob, and Aaron Schwartz, the co-founder of cross-border shipping services provider Passport Shipping.
In this episode, Aaron and Casey discuss strategies and tools that ensure brands can deliver a frictionless experience to both consumers and technology partners. This episode is part of the Greymatter podcast capsule series on commerce hosted by Mike Duboe.
You can listen to the podcast here.
Below are key topics from the conversation:
- The Rise of 3PLs
- Building a best-in-class supply chain
- The importance of being full stack (and being agnostic up the entire stack)
- Outsourcing to stay lean
- Considerations for going international
- Returns and reverse logistics
- Navigating platform risk in a generalized way
- Being accountable to customers
- Working with – and against – Shopify and Amazon.
