Latest FedEx acquisition part of ongoing bid for e-commerce market [VIDEO]

FedEx has acquired Northwest Research, along with the latter’s capabilities to “resolve at-risk shipments” that the integrator hopes will improve its customer experience.

Based out of Salt Lake City, Northwest Research is an inventory research and management company, and the latest in a string of FedEx acquisitions that bolster its e-commerce logistics capabilities. With Amazon.com blurring the lines between retail and logistics, FedEx and its primary U.S. rival, UPS, are rushing to bolster their position in the market.

FedEx’s exposure to Amazon.com has worried analysts, however the company is quick to head off any misconceptions that it is in an unstable position. FedEx’s chief of marketing and communications officer, Rajesh Subramaniam, said the online retailer only accounted for a few percentage points of their total business. On the contrary, he said, FedEx has started offering e-commerce services that put them in Amazon’s court. “We sit at the confluence of the physical and digital,” he explained.

Below, Subramaniam explains FedEx’s evolving position in the e-commerce and logistics markets: