Indiana e-commerce sector preparing for holiday sales growth
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIt’s go time for holiday shopping, and inflation, rising interest rates and an uncertain economy are all driving how much money people are going to let loose. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday retail sales are expected to grow by 6-8% over last year, but lower-to-middle-income individuals are being more cautious about how much they plan to spend. Additionally, e-commerce sales are expected to grow between 10-12% in this year’s holiday season as Indiana continues to expand its e-commerce presence.
Amazon operates multiple fulfillment centers throughout Indiana, including a 100,000-square-foot facility in Greenwood, which opened less than a year ago. The facility uses robotics technology designed to help deliver items to customers’ homes in a matter of hours.
Amazon Regional Operations PR Manager Andre Woodson Jr. talked about the facility’s role in Indiana’s growing e-commerce ecosystem in an interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.
“This is a sub-same-day fulfillment center. It has hundreds of thousands of items that we can deliver to customers in two hours or less,” said Woodson. “It’s really exciting to see the hustle and bustle behind this facility as we look forward to delivering for customers this holiday season.”
Woodson says Amazon’s presence in the Hoosier State also benefits small and medium-sized businesses.
“In Indiana alone, we have over 22,000 small and medium-sized businesses as well as authors that continue to sell on our marketplace and our platforms to reach millions of customers across the globe. So it’s just another way that we’re impacting the local economy.”
Amazon also has a larger, 615,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Greenwood, among other locations. But it’s not the only e-commerce presence in central Indiana that continues to grow.
In September, international fashion retailer SHEIN announced plans to expand its 659,000-square-foot Midwest distribution center in Whitestown, which opened earlier this summer, by 50%, while also constructing a second, 550,000-square-foot facility on the Boone County campus. The company said it would double its staff to about 1,400 employees by 2025.
Last month, Pennsylvania-based Radial Inc. said it was looking to add more than 500 seasonal employees at its 700,000-square-foot e-commerce fulfillment center in Brownsburg.
We’ll have more on how central Indiana is preparing for the holiday season at the FedEx hub at Indianapolis International Airport in Tuesday’s INside Edge Morning Briefing.