Prairie Sun Pub & Brewery is located in the eclectic Broadway neighbourhood in Saskatoon. With so many delicious eats, craft beer selections, trivia nights, and beautiful pet-friendly patio, make them your next summer hangout destination!
Hoffman Elite Enterprises is a local, family-owned Hydrovac company that helps customers save time and money using best practices and industry-leading equipment. It proudly provides Semi-vac, Steamer, Combo units, pressure truck, water hauling, and methanol rental services in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.
Furbaby Pet Care is an indoor/outdoor, 24/7 pet care facility in Saskatoon’s Stonebridge area. It offers pet daycare, boarding, training, grooming, mobile pet sitting & dog walking, pet massage, pet transport, and more!
There’s only three weeks left to be eligible for FaithLife Financial’s special promotion, three months premium back based on your annual premium. For more information, call 519-376-6988, email [email protected], or message FaithLife Financial on Facebook. You can also contact Kacie Linn of Sound Life Solutions to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.
Dr. Dean Weninger at The Eye Gallery Doctors of Optometry has been my optometrist for about 10 years. Dean is very friendly and really gets to know his patients on a personal level all while being a knowledgeable professional. I highly recommend him!
Looking for a used vehicle? Need automotive repairs? Then check out Saskatoon Auto Connection which was founded out of a dissatisfaction with the traditional car dealership experience. They sell and service vehicles in a way that favours the customer, not the dealership. I recommend their unique VIP customer car program which provides the very best deals and customer experience in automotive service.
Prairie Sun Pub & Brewery is a locally focused, Saskatoon pub and brewery that handpicks all its ingredients to produce the best small-batch brews possible; innovative beers with distinct flavors.
The rise of e-commerce in the past few years has resulted in some considerable industry changes. One of these changes is the growing expectation among consumers that online retailers provide free shipping at checkout. However, this isn’t always a plausible option for every business. In this article, we take a look at free shipping, who can access it, and the consequences of the growing demand.
The pandemic changed the e-commerce and small package shipping landscape worldwide. Over 131 billion parcels shipped worldwide in 2020, a number that is supposed to surpass 266 billion by 2026. This has created great growth for many businesses, alongside a huge labor demand, and ever-present supply chain issues. Likewise, it has added to the expectation for customers to have cheap or free shipping fees available to them at checkout. In fact, as of 2021, 73% of consumers would rather get free shipping and wait longer to receive an order than pay for faster shipping.
E-commerce’s popularity means that national infrastructure is changing to accommodate this consumer trend. For example, according to logistics company Maersk, deliveries – depending on the shipper and the availability of their fulfillment centers – can reach 75% of the US population within 24 hours, and 95% within 48 hours. Obviously those in more remote parts of Canada and the United States don’t see those same quick delivery times, but the reality nowadays is that the majority of North Americans can expect quick delivery on many goods.
Free shipping is a perk many look for when making an online purchase. But, of course, nothing is really free. Free shipping just means that someone else is paying for the cost of delivering your order. And if you’re ordering from a small to medium sized business, that cost may be more than you think. Dhruv Saxena, founder of ShipBob, spoke with CNBC on this issue, saying, “anyone can offer an Amazon Prime two-day shipping. It’s just the cost that…might incur in providing that service.” According to Saxena, it would cost a business on average between $25-35 USD for a typical two-day shipping rate for a parcel. This is offset when large companies, such as Amazon, Etsy, or Walmart, generate mass online sales, and can achieve bulk shipping rates. Unfortunately, larger companies’ access to bulk shipping rates and better speeds means there is consequential pressure on smaller businesses to provide the same service. In fact, as of 2019, three-quarters of independent retailers in the United States told the Institute for Local Self-Reliance that Amazon’s dominance is a “major threat to their survival.”
On top of bulk shipping rates, one way for businesses to offset the cost of free shipping is via customer loyalty programs. These programs tend to go a long way in terms of customer satisfaction, and often save customers money on individual transactions, but usually result in customers spending more money at a business overall. As Harvard Business Review (HBR) explains, “the average Amazon Prime member spends more than twice as much as the average non-member. This may seem to imply that the program is responsible for a substantial increase in revenues, but the difference in spending could also be driven by self-selection (that is, customers who already intend to spend more may be more likely to choose to become members).” Offering these loyalty programs isn’t cheap, especially when it comes to offering free shipping rates. HBR found that when brands offer loyalty programs, average basket sizes tend to go down, even if customers are shopping more frequently. Meaning, businesses are paying for free shipping more often, for separate, smaller orders.
Business is a balance of serving your customers while also keeping your bottom line in mind. So, when free shipping is in demand, how can your business find that balance? There are several tactics you can employ to help better get bang for your buck with free shipping:
For all of these solutions, find a sweet spot between offering a service your customers want, and being realistic about what you need in return.
The rise of e-commerce has many of us accustomed to free shipping when online shopping. However, this can be a harder standard to achieve for small and medium businesses that don’t hit the same sales numbers as giants such as Amazon. With free shipping continuing to rise in popularity, those smaller businesses must take steps to protect their bottom line while meeting customer satisfaction.
In 2022 we’ve already experienced record-breaking gas prices and concerns about the growing cost of fuel. As the rest of the world pushes for the adoption of electric vehicles, North America seems to be behind the curve. In this article, we look at why this might be, and how the future of electric transportation might affect that.
Electric vehicles around the world.
Around the world, electric vehicles (EVs) are growing in popularity. In December of 2021, Europe saw the sales of EVs overtake the sale of diesel cars for the first time. China is experiencing similar growth in the EV industry.
In the United States, growth is more stagnant. According to Wired, EVs “made up just 4 percent of vehicles sale last year. While the world falls in love with electric cars, the US is holding out.”
Projections aren’t great, either. Bank of America forecasts that EVs will make up just 20% of the U.S. car market by 2030, rather than the nation’s public goal of 50%.
EV adoption is pressing, but not simple.
With the rising price of gas, and the reality that transportation is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, adopting electric vehicles sounds like a great solution. However, EV adoption has not proven as simple as it sounds.
Some of the barriers include:
Despite all these barriers, research has shown that Americans want electric vehicles, and would be more likely to adopt them quickly if they were more affordable. The reality is similar in Canada, with 71% of consumers saying they’d consider an EV for their next vehicle, but 90% feeling they still have to do more research to address their concerns.
Cars aren’t the only transportation pushing towards electrification.
While your business might not be able to afford purchasing electric company cars, what about a ticket on an electric plane for future business trips? Believe it or not, this reality might be sooner than you think.
In fact, according to Afar, “ airlines like United and EasyJet are onboard as early adopters, with the first U.S. commercial routes slated for 2026.”
Again, with electrified planes, the U.S. is slated to be a bit behind global electric leaders in regards to adoption. For example, Denmark and Sweden plan to make all domestic flights fossil fuel-free by 2030.
What will flying electric be like?
There are still some kinks to work out of electric planes. As Afar explains, “today’s batteries aren’t nearly as energy-dense as jet fuel, requiring bulk and weight that pose significant aerodynamic challenges.”
What this means is, smaller batteries – suitable for shorter flights – shouldn’t pose much of an issue. Short domestic flights are very doable with electric planes. However, larger planes and longer routes will be more difficult, and farther away in the future.
Even with just shorter flights being covered by electric planes, this has the potential to reduce fuel expenses and carbon emissions for the aviation industry significantly. Roughly half of the flight routes operated worldwide today are less than 500 miles.
Electric fleets are a transnational conundrum.
Like planes, long-haul trucks are another transportation sector headed in the direction of electrification. But how quickly and smoothly will that transition happen?
In North America, that will entirely depend on transnational cooperation. Because so much of long-haul trucking involved crossing borders, there will need to be some uniformity between American and Canadian policy on electric trucks in order for it to be worth it for operations on both sides of the border.
However, Canada plans to electrify all heavy-duty trucks by 2040.
In conclusion…
Despite its varying speed across the globe, electrification is inevitable. The events of 2022 so far have shown the difficulties of relying on fuel, despite the existing challenges that still remain in EV adoption. However, as the decade continues, we can expect to see more progress towards electrification.
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