Guest: Nikki Baird of Aptos on what's in store for retail in 2022; Reaction to the Biden Trucking Action Plan; New technologies impacting parcel

Our guest in this week's episode is Nikki Baird, vice president of retail innovation at Aptos.2021 was a bit better for retailers following a very rough 2020, led mostly by consumer spending and surges in e-commerce orders. Are brick-and-mortar stores planning to rebound in the coming year and what will be the main things that retailers should focus on in 2022?The Biden Administration released its plan to help the trucking industry deal with its logjams, tight capacities, and difficulties finding and retaining drivers. How is the industry reacting to the Trucking Action Plan and will it make a difference both short and long term?The parcel technology sector continues to be an area of tremendous growth, as suppliers provide the tools that parcel shippers need to respond to increasing volumes and tight constraints. We look at Stamps.com as an example of a company that has expanded from its initial place in the market of selling postage, growing into a company now named Auctane that offers a much larger portfolio of services. Is this a growing trend for technology companies that serve the parcel market?DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  has  a new 11-episode limited podcast series called the Top 10 Supply Chain Threats. Each week, a different threat to our supply chains is discussed, including capacity constraints, labor shortages, inflation and economics, weather-related issues, component and product shortages, digitalization, automation, and much more. Subscribe at your favorite podcast platform. Search "Top 10 Supply Chain Threats."Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:AptosIndustry weighs in on Biden's Trucking Action PlanAuctane adds Spanish parcel tech startup Packlink to its shipping stableStamps.com rebrands as Auctane to meet broader e-commerce needsVisit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. Visit Supply Chain QuarterlyListen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcastSend feedback about this podcast to [email protected] sponsored by: ApteanOther linksAbout DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts