Amazon has been in the shipping and delivery game for years. What’s new is that the e-commerce giant is now opening its entire network of physical logistics, fulfillment, shipping, and delivery to any business.

On May 4, the tech giant said it will offer its entire network of freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and shipping to any business, and not just sellers selling via Amazon. Think of it as renting out Amazon as a shipper for the least sexy part of retail, aka logistics. So far, brands testing out the new Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS) are Procter & Gamble, American Eagle Outfitters, and Lands’ End, among others.

“Amazon is one of our key e-commerce partners, and we’re excited to leverage Amazon Supply Chain Services to position inventory closer to customers so we can reach them even faster,” Lands’ End CEO Andrew McLean said in a statement. “This consistency is central to our solutions-based approach, enabling us to serve customers with confidence and agility, especially during peak seasons.”

According to one logistics expert, brands, generally speaking, will view the Amazon news with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Keep reading here.—VC

While retailers continue to lean into sustainability, many apparel brands haven’t greatly reduced their carbon use recently. And per a new report by SE Advisory Services, consumers are taking note as their expectations around sustainability rise.

In fact, 46% of those surveyed said that they’d be less inclined to shop with a brand after finding out their supply chain is not environmentally sustainable. For younger consumers, this was even more pressing, with 61% of Gen Z and 57% of millennials saying the same thing.

The report, which included responses from 1,000 US adults, additionally found that shoppers were also concerned about the use of AI in retail. Nearly half of US consumers (48%) said AI’s energy consumption influences whether they’re comfortable using AI-driven tools, with Gen Z (62%) and millennials (59%) expressing the greatest concern. And when consumers were asked which factors they believe contribute most to carbon emissions, 28% cited gas-powered vehicles, while 27% pointed to manufacturing.

Moreover, the majority of respondents (58%) believe companies should be responsible for ensuring their supply chains, technology practices, and resource usage are environmentally sustainable.

Keep reading here.—JS

The AI supply chain startup Altana was formed in early 2019 around a forecast of global chaos. As part of an early exercise, the three co-founders each traced out what they thought trade would look like in the next few years.

“We all wrote some version of, like, the world is gonna fall apart,” CEO and co-founder Evan Smith told us, specifically recalling predictions of more trade wars spurred by the economic rise of China, climate dislocation, and sovereign debt crises.

Seven years later, chaos has become the norm. Soon after Altana’s founding, the coronavirus pandemic ramped up a period of global trade turbulence that hasn’t eased much since. More recently, whack-a-mole tariffs and war in the Middle East have roiled the globe-spanning trade routes on which many retailers rely.

Altana aims to help businesses, logistics providers, and governments navigate these uncertainties.

Keep reading here.—PK

Retail leaders are under pressure to drive growth at every stage of the customer journey—and sometimes the funnel fights back. Lauren Livak will help unpack real-world retail and e-commerce challenges live in New York, sharing practical insights on what brands can do to improve acquisition, conversion, and long-term loyalty. Join us in New York to hear more.

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