One of the biggest challenges of ship-from-store fulfillment is order consolidation, or the ability to bring an online order with multiple products into a single shippable package. When inventory is located across multiple stores and distribution centers across the country, it is quite the logistical feat, especially for mid-market retailers, to determine the quickest, most efficient way for product to be shipped to the customer.

Alibaba has long enjoyed a lucrative return from its massive online shopping network. But their extraordinary profitability is no longer a foregone conclusion as the Chinese e-commerce giant re-invests huge sums of money on new initiatives in the face of intensifying competition.

The outlook for Indian online retailer Flipkart was decidedly gloomy when Kalyan Krishnamurthy became chief executive officer in January 2017. The startup’s valuation was dropping, fundraising was more difficult and Amazon.com Inc. was pledging $5bn-plus to siphon away customers.

With every story of a woman succeeding in the male-dominated world of supply chain and logistics management, another door opens.

Reading some media reports, you might believe that the retail industry is in serious decline. But all is not as it seems.

Freight-hauling firms slowed their roll in ordering new trucks last month, as backlogs at equipment factories spiked following record demand for new vehicles in the first quarter.