Change is constant. Children revel in it, adults move with it, elders might resist it and a business is wise to anticipate it. We all are involved in creating this particular change, as it’s a revolution in the way we shop and buy. With technology came the Internet, with the Internet came e-commerce. Now it appears that with e-commerce we’re seeing changes in the physical landscape and social landscape as well.
A recent article in Bloomberg talks about the impact of e-commerce on mall owners who are seeing their real estate decline in value. Their choice appears to be attempting to sell the lower-tier malls and transform the more profitable ones. Apparently selling mall real estate is becoming difficult with buyers demanding steep discounts due to the risk. The article goes on to talk specifics about the difficulties mall owners are facing as this change expands.
AMS Fulfillment is very much involved in the rise of e-commerce and for us this change presents new challenges. Early on we anticipated the need for skilled workers in the warehouse who are trained in logistics, and we entered into collaboration with SCV College of the Canyons (COC) in an effort to develop our workforce. We equipped a full classroom with computers in order to accommodate the training.
AMS and COC experienced such success with their initial efforts that they collaborated on a first of its kind Logistics Apprenticeship Program. This innovative solution to training a skilled logistics workforce is in process, and it can now serve as a model for other community colleges and businesses involved in warehousing and logistics.
In developing its workforce, AMS has done well at anticipating and responding to the e-commerce revolution. Certainly more can be anticipated as e-commerce continues to expand into new markets and blockchain technology enters the logistics arena.
A second, and vital way that AMS has responded to the surge in e-commerce is with technology improvements that keep us at the forefront. Jay Catlin, President of AMS, had this to say about the expansion of AMS technology: “Our amazing team of developers and engineers are continuously making impactful change with analysis, processes improvement and new technology. You have to stay nimble when you manage a large and diverse client base with a wide array of commodities and order metrics, but AMS has managed to innovate in a way that works across the entire business.”
But when looking at mall real estate, the Bloomberg article does not paint a comfortable picture. Larger, more popular malls that have added attractions e-commerce cannot provide, are expected to survive. For others, the recommendation is… “If you’re thinking about selling an asset down the road, it would be wise to think about pulling it forward and selling now.”
We invite you to visit our website and contact AMS for E-commerce Fulfillment, Drop Shipping, Amazon Prime, Infomercial and all Direct to Consumer Fulfillment.
