General Motors has launched an innovative new electric delivery service, dubbed BrightDrop, that is designed to make it easier than ever for its commercial customers to go about using electric vehicles to quickly and easily complete deliveries to a wide range of customers.

Launched at the virtual CES 2021, the BrightDrop electric delivery service provides a plethora of delivery vehicles as well as associated products and computing platforms. The vehicles in question revolve around the EV600, an all-electric offering that boasts a range in the region of 250 miles. Also included in BrightDrop's electric delivery service is the EP1 electric pallet.

What's great about BrightDrop is that it doesn't just supply electric vehicles, but will also offer related services such as fleet management technology and cloud platforms for coding and storage needs, making this an excellent electric delivery service for the B2B space.

Sam’s Club now uses autonomous mobile robots relying on artificial intelligence to fulfill e-commerce orders in its Southern California fulfillment center, a 753,00-square-foot facility in Perris.

The use of autonomous mobile robots will also allow Sam’s Club to test new technologies to help scale its e-commerce business, where the company has experienced sales totalled at $363 million at the end of the third quarter in 2020.

The robots are powered by GreyMatter software, developed by GreyOrange in Atlanta. The Grey Matter software allows robots to improve each time they fulfill an order. The robots are able to identify items commonly ordered together and place them in close proximity in the facility or move inventory based on what items are in season.

HowToRobot is the world's first-ever digital robot hub and CEO Søren Peters believes that too many small to medium businesses are losing out on the next big transformation. This hub works towards the mission of increasing robot adoption at a global scale. It wants to eliminate borders around automation to assist small businesses with their production.

HowToRobot wants to get robots into every factory across the world and make automation run seamlessly. Peters talks about the lack of global robot experts as a main challenge when it come to automation, which is where the company can assist with projects and bridge the gap between the right suppliers and business. He states, “Many robots end up as a failure because they were assigned to the wrong task. By following a standardized method used by independent advisors, the companies can ensure that robots are only implemented where they are most needed and capable of doing their job,”

Ericsson has a 5G Smart Factory located in Texas that focuses on a sustainable future of design and operation methods. Corporate responsibility lays at the foundation of the factory, working towards a brighter future. This is Ericsson's inaugural fully automated smart factory, and also the world's first. It produces the Advanced Antenna System radios that help deploy large-scales within 4G and 5G mobile networks.

This works in alignment with achieving the goal of becoming carbon neutral by the year 2030. In addition to that, it also displays how manufacturing can shift to a low carbon future without compromising prime business objectives. The factory have 1,646 solar panels that produces electricity from direct and reflected light off the ground. When building the factory, a main challenge was the heat of Texas, which is a reason for the installation of rain water tanks to ensure nothing is wasted when rain arrives.

Factories often require ample space and can be far removed from the area they provide product to, but this travel factory is being trialled by Unilever in The Netherlands in a bid to offer hyper-local product manufacturing.

The compact food factory operates inside a 40-foot sea container that is presently being used for producing the brands liquid bouillon for Unilever's Food Solutions business. The brand says that the production capabilities of the mini factory would be expanded to make a range of additional food products in the future including mayonnaise, ketchup and even ice cream.

Unilever Engineering Manager and Project Lead for the travel factory Olivera Trifunovic spoke on the initiative saying, "This travel factory reflects a new dynamic model where thousands of nano factories could be run from a central system, allowing us to have flexible production lines wherever, and whenever, needed. I’m incredibly proud of our team who have worked so hard, and so quickly, to bring this start-up to life.”

The conceptual 'Autonomo Fork Lift' (AFL) has been designed by DongJun Kim as a safety and efficiency focused solution for the modern factory that would provide administrators with a better way to perform duties. The system maintains an autonomous functionality that can detect obstacles and operate at fixed speeds on designated paths in order to make it an efficiency powerhouse. The vehicle doesn't feature an operator cabin to further enhance storage capabilities, while the sensor-packed system wouldn't rely on hand-eye coordination to access crates.

The conceptual 'Autonomo Fork Lift' (AFL) would work to drastically enhance productivity in the modern factory or warehouse and wouldn't be limited by operating hours to work continuously without the need for more person power to get the job done.

The demand for sustainability and efficiency in manufacturing and shipping business processes warrants enhanced packaging solutions that hit both expectations on the mark in a cost-effective manner. In this space, some companies are betting on robotic assistance and with the advancement of technology in recent years, the implementation of such ideas is getting better and better. ABB's delta robot—the IRB 390 FlexPacker™—is one of the newest options on the market.

Expected to make a functional debut at the end of 2020, the enhanced packaging solution will be programmed to "support customized packaging, vertical packing, and high-speed, high-variation sorting and on-demand picking in logistics and e-commerce fulfillment centers." The technology is specifically recommended for secondary packaging and high-payload applications. It is also can be combined with ABB's IRB 360 FlexPicker pick-and-pack system.

Amazon announced that it recently purchased 11 Boeing 767-300 planes, which will bring its total air fleet to 85 planes which will distribute packages in the United States and other markets.

Amazon initially launched its air fleet in 2016 with a total of 11 planes and the company expects to have its 85 planes operational by the end of 2022. Seven of the 11 new aircraft were used planes that were purchased from Delta, and another four were purchased from WestJet. The four WestJet planes will be operational by the end of this year, while the Delta planes will not be flying for Amazon until 2022.

Amazon’s recent acquisition of planes marks the first time the e-commerce giant purchased aircraft in favour of leasing agreements.

Temperature trackers are now increasingly being utilized in the food industry to ensure the best possible quality for clients and consumers. Most recently, Smashtag announced its newest innovation in this space. It comes in the form of a wireless temperature logger that "broadcasts its signal to devices," making data pertaining to containers arriving into warehouses or being delivered to consumers readily available and easily accessible. The device has been specifically designed to monitor cold and hot temperature food during transit and all collected information can be observed through a mobile application. To be utilized by the food industry, the information derived from the temperature tracker can help various companies make decisions for future actions to "safeguard containers or reduce shipping costs" if an error occurs.

The Walmart HomeValet service is being tested by the brand in Bentonville, Arkansas but the brand is taking a further step to grow it and make it even more convenient for consumers to receive their delivery at any point. The expansion will see smart boxes being implemented on a customer's doorstep in a bid to expand the time frame when a delivery can take place, while also keeping perishables fresh thanks to its temperature-controlled design. The box is powered by an Internet of Things platform that would enable it to communicate directly with the delivery person to let them access it and keep unauthorized parties out.

Senior Vice President of Customer Product Tom Ward spoke on the new Walmart HomeValet service innovation saying, "The prospect of this technology is intriguing, both for customers and for Walmart’s last-mile delivery efforts. For customers, they don’t need to plan their day around when their grocery delivery will be made. For Walmart, it presents an opportunity to deliver items 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While we don’t have plans to do 24/7 delivery today, it certainly has a nice ring to it.”

TuSimple, the autonomous trucking startup, released a plan to create a network of routes and terminals that would be purposed for self-driving trucking. According to the plans, the autonomous trucking network would extend across the entire United States before the year 2024. Additionally, a number of other organizations will partner in the autonomous freight network, including UPS, U.S. Xpress, Penske Truck Leasing, and a supply chain company named McLane Inc.

The autonomous freight network would contain four main components to successfully function, including autonomous trucks, digitally navigated routes, and freight terminals. If successful the network would drastically reduce transportation costs, as well as increase efficiency, as the trucks could be running at all times year-round.

EcoCart accommodates to the rising growth of e-commerce, offering ease of purchasing options for consumers. As the name of the company suggests, it prioritizes sustainable practices. Learning that there is a global increase of carbon dioxide, EcoCart aims to retaliate that with new solutions.

Shippers can reduce their carbon footprint by electric vehicle deliveries or reducing packaging materials for example. The San Fran-based start up company starts with an API, application programming interface for shippers and a browser extension for customers. Once that is completed, EcoCart determines the carbon footprint of that order and offers customers the chance to purchase carbon offsets. Co-Founder Dane Baker assures that that cost is usually lower than $1 for each purchase.

Amazon indicated that it will no longer use single-use plastic materials at fulfillment centers across India. The e-commerce giant will not use bubble wrap or air pillows to cushion packages before delivery, and instead, it will use paper or biodegradable materials. Amazon states that the change will take effect before the end of June.

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, stated that the country will transition away from plastic materials by the year 2022. Amazon’s efforts will help in part to achieve this goal. If the transition process is successful the e-commerce company may attempt may take similar sustainable action in other markets that it operates in.

Previously Amazon participated in recycling incentives and investing resources into clean energy projects.

MIT researchers recently created a robot with UVC light that has the ability to disinfect surfaces. In order to create the UVC light robot, the CSAIL lab at MIT worked in collaboration with AVA Robotics. The team of researchers also indicated that the autonomous robot could help to keep communal spaces clean, including factories, restaurants, and more.

The robot was tested at the Greater Boston Food Bank warehouse, where it was able to remove nearly all of the coronavirus particles on surfaces at the location.

Alyssa Pierson, a CSAIL researcher, made a statement about the project, “We are focused on remote operation to minimize human supervision, and therefore, the additional risk of spreading Covid-19, while running our system.”

Amazon is now using thermal cameras in order to screen warehouse employees as a detection system for COVID-19. The thermal cameras are only being used at certain warehouse locations, and they are able to screen for COVID-19 by detecting elevated temperatures. If the thermal cameras detect an elevated temperature, the employee will then need to complete a thermometer check.

Amazon’s efforts to screen warehouse employees will ensure that it can remain operational, as it can protect warehouse facilities against potential outbreaks of the virus. This can be done by isolating any individuals who show symptoms of the virus. Amazon remaining operational is important as e-commerce is seeing higher than normal demand, due to contactless delivery systems.

The 'EAVcab' is a new modular cargo solution being developed by Electric Assisted Vehicles Ltd (EAV) and Revonte as a way to help enhance the capabilities for deliveries and more. The vehicle has a modular chassis and features a pedal-assist functionality that would enable users to ride it around town at their leisure to get deliveries completed. The unit also shows promise for use in warehouses and would help to infuse eco-friendly protocols into the business environment.

EAV Founder and Technical Director Adam Barmby spoke on the 'EAVcab' saying, "We know that we can use a bio-mechanical electric hybrid vehicle like EAV to replace most vans and even cars in urban environments without any loss in operational efficiency, but we need to see how far we can improve that offering and where those improvements need to be. We’re already fully modular with the EAVcab offering multiple models on the same chassis and we’re working on our own wheel, tire and braking developments to over-engineer safety into all EAV vehicles. The inclusion of the Revonte One drive system will take our ULCVs (Urban Lightweight Cargo Vehicles) well beyond the next level."

In Japan, Nike relies on smart warehouse robots from Geek+ so that products can be picked, packaged and delivered within the same day. Within the warehouse, the product-picking bots are used to carry packages directly to warehouse workers, which helps to increase efficiency and safety, reduce costs and simplify warehouse operations.

While there are some warehouses that are implementing different strategies in order to keep up with the demands of ecommerce, Geek+ sees a better alternative to manually operated warehouses.

Autonomous robots are becoming increasingly important across a wide range of industries for last-mile deliveries, checking store inventory and even preparing some products right before the eyes of consumers.

Lightspeed and Max Levchin uses Balance to invite B2B payment into an online space for ease and seamless transactions. Balance is a contemporary finance solution that efficiently manages payments for merchants, offering a variety of methods such as bank wires and ACH.

It also offers a plethora of different payment terms such as net payment terms, payment on delivery, and payment by milestone. Essentially, Balance helps by underwriting the terms of the different transactions with the financing based on the merchant, the risk evaluation of the customer, and the selected payment term. Founders Yoni Shuster and Bar Geron met while working at PayPal, as the two learned about customer payments at a global scale. They noticed the lack of digitalized payments in B2B financing and took an expansive perspective to finding a solution.

GM announced at the 2021 virtual CES show that it launched a new EV business unit, named BrightDrop, which will serve a commercial clientele beginning with FedEx.

The new EV business Unit will offer two commercial services. The first is an electric van, named EV600, which features a range of 250 miles, the second is an electric pallet named the EP1. GM also created new software tools for BrightDrop to serve the commercial EV market, and the auto manufacturer will also create a dealership network to support the new company.

“The more we learned about the demand and the challenges of delivery and logistics from that first mile to literally the last five feet, the more we saw the opportunity to leverage GM’s expertise in things like electrification, mobility applications, telematics, fleet management to help businesses move goods and services in a smarter and more sustainable way,” said Pam Fletcher, the vice president of Global Innovation at General Motors.

The government of Dubai, the Dubai Airport Freezone Authority and property firm Wasl are working together on a joint venture called Dubai Commercity that will exist as a free trade zone for e-commerce and a hub for online retailers. The first-of-its-kind free zone for e-commerce in the Middle East is set to have a dozen buildings, including a business cluster, logistics center and a social center, all located in the proximity of the Dubai International Airport.

Dubai Commercity promises to be appealing for retailers as it offers benefits such as "no corporate tax, no income tax, 100% foreign ownership, full repatriation of capital and profit and no currency restrictions." Clients will also have the benefit of being able to access high-tech solutions like AI-powered warehouses.

The Amazon app has been completely redesigned for all iOS users in the United States. Additionally, the reworked app will be launched to all users at the end of the month. The redesign for the amazon app will feature improved navigation and a new color theme. Other focuses of the redesign intend to make it easier for iPhone users to access they're most commonly used features and find what items they are looking for. The platform now features a ‘Quick Access’ bar at the bottom of the screen. Users will also have the ability to access their Amazon cart, where they can “Buy Again” their most frequently purchased items.

A spokesperson for the e-commerce giant released a statement about the new app, “The new design for Amazon’s app on iPhone provides customers easier access to the features they use most, while on the go.

Amazon created a new multimedia shopping feature, titled Room Decorator, which is powered by AR technology. Room Decorator will provide users the ability to see how furniture would look in their home, ahead of the purchase. The AR tool is also able to display multiple products, allowing consumers to totally redesign a room using AR. Users will also have the ability to access Amazon's Room Decorate when they are away forming their home, using AR snapshots.

Amazon's AR tool can be used for thousands of items that are listed on the e-commerce platform. Consumers using an iOS device or desktop browser will be able to access the tool by clicking a 'View in Your Room' button when searching for products on Amazon.

Amazon expanded its Prime accessible Key in-garage delivery services to over 4,000 cities across the United States and will expand product delivery options from both Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh.

In order to access the Key in-Garage service, customers will need to have a myQ smart garage door installed in their home, allowing delivery personal access to their garage. Additionally, the e-commerce giant is incentivizing new customers to access the service. First-time customers of Amazon's Key in-Garage Grocery Delivery service will be eligible to receive a $30 credit, and also $20 for their first grocery order.

Expanding the service to 4,000 cities will make Amazon's garage delivery service available to the majority of American consumers, and may find early success as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in many parts of the United States.

Walmart partnered with FedEx to create a new free service named Carrier Pickup, which allows consumers to return items purchased from Walmart directly from their homes.

The Carrier Pickup service was announced on December 21, and it gives customers the ability to schedule a meeting online with a FedEx employee to come to their home and pick up packages off of their doorstep. The retailer also added a number of new features to make in-store returns faster.

The new service comes during a year of increased instances of e-commerce use as many consumers are avoiding in-person shopping due to the pandemic. Additionally, some organizations, including Salesforce, are expecting high numbers of returns during the holiday season to match the increased reliance on e-commerce.

Local Line is a Canadian e-commerce solution for farms, food hubs, and farmers markets, enabling customers to pre-order produce, eggs, cheese, and other artisanal products online. The service allows customers to prepay online, eliminating the need for consumers to browse around crowded markets or handle cash. Notably, the brand saw an increase in demand since the onset of the pandemic, with Local Line founder Cole Jones, stating: "Our business is onboarding farmers at about nine times our normal rate."

The tool itself is user-friendly and boasts a number of features designed to take the burden away from farmers. Local Line offers an online store, delivery and pick-up scheduling, order management, product management, customer management, and reports and analytics, among others.

The 6.18 Shopping Festival was created by JD.com in 2004 to celebrate its June 18 anniversary and the event has since been picked up by a variety of retailers. In 2020, as retailers are relying heavily on e-commerce experiences and venturing into live shopping services, the 6.18 Shopping Festival is taking on new significance as the economy needs to be bolstered post-pandemic.

This year's Tmall 6.18 campaign will be centered on a live experience on the Taobao Live platform, the livestreaming arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba. The livestreamed event is being touted as the largest celebrity broadcast in history, as it will include at least 10 celebrity broadcasts each day through June 20th. To promote sales right on the platform, the event will also feature brand representatives.

Consumers are understandably wary about returning to their favorite stores and retailers are adapting by offering live shopping experiences—as seen with Gucci Live. With this new in-store shopping service, potential Gucci clients are connected with a personalized advisor who shows off the latest offerings within a "faux luxury store"—a space specifically equipped with cameras and lighting to support what Gucci calls "remote clienteling." With mobile devices and laptops, staff communicates with shoppers in a way that saves them from having to physically visit the store space to see the available items on display.

Live shopping services and apps are emerging to give consumers a new way to participate in e-commerce, especially in highly interactive ways that feels like a hybrid of the online and in-store experience.