A VC in Vacationland

In the world of omni-channel delivery, keeping track of inventory across multiple sources is a huge supply chain challenges for retailers. Local delivery options can be vast and making sure these guys are reliable and still in business can be a challenge for retailers. That's why CommerceHub's latest acquisition is so interesting to supply chain professionals dealing with these problems.

E-Commerce technology company CommerceHub has announced its intention to acquire Seattle-based Mercent.  CommerceHub provides a virtual inventory platform that integrates retailers with a network of drop-ship suppliers. The Mercent acquisition promises to provide an enterprise scale platform to enable "retailers to expand their product assortment, generate greater demand and optimize customer delivery from any source of supply." CommerceHub said that it has enabled more than $8 billion in gross merchandise value in the prior 12 months.

If anything, the last mile delivery world will become more, not less complex, over the coming decade, creating more demand for new technologies to master the process.