Business and Economics
Every year, Black Friday kicks off the busiest and most crucial period for webshops and parcel players.
Researchers at the University of Antwerp conducted a sample about the functioning of parcel logistics and the broader eCommerce ecosystem. The questions were mainly situated around pain points within the parcels market, possible fraud by consumers, problems with delivery quality and modalities and abuse of returns.
Today, there are many innovative projects on logistics, mobility, car use and local commerce organised in governments. But are we really talking about innovations? or are we talking about retro mobility, retro logistics and retro shopping? We are convinced the next decade will be defined by the reintroduction of many customs from the ’50s and ’60s.
Using hospitals as distribution hubs initially seemed a logical choice for storage and distribution of vaccines. However, the increased workload for the hospital staff and an increased risk of losing vaccines must be taken into account. The Think Tank Vaccine Distribution looked into different scenarios.
Research from a think tank of professors and experts suggests that the vaccination of the Belgian population should be carried out through larger, professional and centrally controlled vaccination centers. They propose setting-up some 70 centers, instead of the 200 centers proposed by the government.
The current problems of the parcel industry were unfortunately clearly written in the stars. The business model of the webshops and distributors has reached its limits. A lot can be learned from the airline industry, but consumers too will have to become more aware of the challenges the e-commerce parcel market faces.
A think tank of professors from the University of Antwerp and industry experts has focused on the logistical organization for the distribution of the corona vaccines. After consulting with logistics parties, courier companies, non-profit organizations, international logistics experts and pharmaceutical companies, they have noted four main observations that are important for both the COVID19 vaccine distribution and immunization campaigns.
The whole world is looking for an effective COVID-vaccine. Several logistics parties have cited that not only the development of the vaccine is a feat, but that the distribution too will be challenging. Is the logistical sector ready?
On Friday 21 August 2020, the very first digital ‘Corona-proof’ Urban Logistics Summer School 2020 took place. The event was organised by the Department of Transport and Regional Economics TPR. Prof. Roel Gevaers moderated an online discussion on ‘Best Practices & Applied Policies for Urban Logistics.
Shopping at online Chinese e-commerceplatformen such as AliExpress and Wish is hot, because it’s incredibly cheap. In the near future, this might come to an end. The game is changing, and this market too doesn’t escape the impact of the corona crisis. Roel Gevaers and Wouter Dewulf can tell us all about it.
Consumers are buying more goods online than ever due to the corona crisis. Several parcel and last mile couriers had to reduce their capacity for eCommerce stores, because people are not only ordering more, but also different kinds of products.