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E-commerce has become a powerful driver of global economic growth. In the wake of the pandemic, global online sales surged to an estimated $5.8 trillion USD in 2023more than one-fifth of the total value of global financial services in 2023. This growth has been fueled by intense competition, pushing companies to race to meet rising customer expectations for variety and speed. Customers expect broad product selection and immediate convenience. As Queen frontman Freddie Mercury put it, I want it all, and I want it nowa sentiment that perfectly captures todays consumer mindset. However, demand for immediacy and abundance carries an environmental cost: Expanded product offering and accelerated delivery windows drive up carbon emissions and packaging waste. One way to solve this problem is to enlist the help of artificial intelligence. AI enables businesses to collect data, optimize operations, streamline packaging, and consolidate delivery routes allowing e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Walmart to offer more responsible retail activity that is aligned with saving our planet. The wider the product assortment, the more complex operations and fulfilment become. Categories such as perishable food or hazardous products require tailored shipping strategies. Weight and fragility differences add countless shipping variables. Conveniences like one-day shipping come at a cost to our planet. Consumer pressure has tightened delivery windows from 48 to 24 hours, down to same day and even within the hour. While this offers consumers instant gratification and speed, it also leads to inefficient routing and oversized packaging bloated with excess materials and rising carbon emissions. AI offers a better path to produce fulfillment The use of AI in combination with data repositories, analytics, and reasoning tools provides an unparalleled technology for managing the multi-disciplinary complexity of daily operations in the warehouse. AI is able to analyze and react to the challenges across critical activities, including sustainable food production, material innovation, waste reduction, warehouse automation, smart-grid management, and transportation optimization. Solutions like computer vision that can identify the ripeness of a berry or measure the void in a package prove that this technology can dramatically change what is possible in e-commerce fulfillment, as they open up a world of new applications for automation because they can sense and react to the physical world. AI is poised to become a powerful driver of sustainability in e-commerce by showing consumers the environmental impact of fulfillment. It can engage consumers directly by offering them informed choices and helping them understand the consequences of their decisions. Just as consumers can discover new products through personalized recommendations, they will grow comfortable making informed decisions about the environmental impact of e-commerce fulfillment. Most e-commerce companies already have the needed data to understand fulfillments environmental toll. What is missing is how to take action on that data. With AI, concrete steps can be taken such as tracking carbon footprints, optimizing delivery routes, and using eco-friendly packaging. Chatbots can guide consumers toward options like wait-and-save which bundles multiple shipments to reduce emissions. Smart packaging can reduce materials waste and freight costs. However, even when offered these choices, consumers might not prioritize sustainability over convenience. Consumers tend to pick convenience over sustainability According to psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, we are wired for instant gratification and we tend to focus on the good parts of buying “eco-friendly” products while often ignoring the environmental damage caused by having them delivered quickly. We also fall for the sunk cost fallacy. We believe if we paid for a premium subscription, we must take advantage of fast delivery to get our moneys worth. While consumers have consistently shown they prefer sustainability and a desire to support brands that they view as ecologically responsible, a recent McKinsey study shows that other factors may be more important. The challenge for e-commerce is to align sustainability with shopping convenience and cost savings because people wont pay more or be inconvenienced just to buy green. Remember what Freddie Mercury said. AI solutions are already impacting the complex sciences behind e-commerce fulfilment by identifying packing boxes that are too big for the item being shipped and by assisting packers to identity the optimal packing material to use to ship a product. By incorporating AI, e-commerce can give consumers greater opportunities to act in favor of sustainability without giving up convenience or cost savings. AI can educate and engage consumers, giving them the chance to optimize, engage and conserve when buying online. Omar Asali is chairman and CEO of Ranpak.
Category:
E-Commerce
Its that time of the month again when the moon eats too many carbs at its favorite delicatessen and becomes full. (Okay, thats not the exact science behind it, but its a relatable metaphor.) What actually happens is the moon, Earth, and sun align, with the Earth becoming the sandwich meat. July’s full moon is known as the “Buck Moon,” according to the Old Farmers Almanac, and it will show off this week, peaking on Thursday, July 10. Lets wax and wane about bucks before getting into how best to see this nighttime spectacular. The buck stops here Judging by popular culture, it would appear that female deer, or does, have slightly better publicists. Theres the catchy Sound of Music ditty “Do-Re-Mi” by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, which celebrate the creatures. In Disneys Bambi, the buck orGreat Prince of the Forestis an absentee father who only steps up in absolute crises. However, bucks get the final word in July: There are no full moons named after a doe. Why is the July moon called the Buck Moon? Because this is the time of year that the male deer’s impressive antlers reach their full size, hence the name Buck Moon. Every year, bucks repeat a cycle of growth and shredding of these multipurpose tools. Antlers help bucks attract a mate and defend themselves. Once they shed, smaller animals even gnaw on them to get their needed calcium. When is the best time to see the Buck Moon? Now that we have established that bucks have a cool factor, let’s get into how to see their namesake full moon. The orb will reach peak illumination at 4:37 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 10. If you are able to look below the horizon at that time, stick around to watch it rise into the sky. For exact moonrise and moonset times in your area, use this tool from the Old Farmers Almanac. If you arent out of the office at peak illumination, never fear. The moon will appear full to the naked eye a couple of days after the actual day.
Category:
E-Commerce
Several attractions at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park are now closed to guests in order to make room for a new land thats being developed, Piston Peak National Park. The impacted attractions are located in Frontierland and Liberty Square. To make space for the park expansion, the following attractions are permanently closed: Rivers of America Tom Sawyer Island Liberty Square Riverboat Inspired by Americas national parks Magic Kingdom’s brand-new Piston Peak National Park area will be wilderness-themed. Disney has said the land is inspired by the Rocky Mountains and the history and scenery of the American frontier and its national parks. The fictional national park will feature a Disney and Pixar Cars-themed universe. According to Disney, it will be the largest expansion in the Magic Kingdom’s history. Disney explained some plans for the new land in a June 2025 Disney Parks Blog post. The company shared the following: “Inside Piston Peak, guests will be able to see and explore the visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, trails, and more, all set within the Disney and Pixar Cars universe.” The post continued: “To make sure these buildings fit naturally within the surrounding majestic landscapes, Imagineers are using a style of architecture called ‘Parkitecture,’ which was developed by the National Park Service to create structures that harmonize with the natural environment.” Fast Company contacted Disney for more information. No opening date has been announced yet. More coming to Disneys Magic Kingdom Piston Peak National Park isn’t the only renovation currently underway at the Magic Kingdom. In January 2025, Frontierland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad temporarily closed for renovations. The roller coaster is set to reopen in 2026. Here are a few more expansions coming to Disney’s Magic Kingdom: A nighttime parade experience, “Disney Starlight,” will debut on July 20. A new pirate-themed tavern, The Beak and Barrel, is set to open in late 2025, and will serve food and nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks. Villains Land, a Disney villain-themed park addition featuring attractions, dining, and shopping experiences, will be built. No opening date has been announced.
Category:
E-Commerce
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