From First Mile to Last Mile: How Logistics Changed Over The Last Year!

The past year brought stagnance in e-commerce growth and logistics – especially for last-mile and parcel delivery. The pandemic created immense disruptions through which the retailers became aware of the importance of emergency planning and diversification of carriers, especially for the crucial first and last mile.

Shippers faced numerous surcharges, capacity limits and even had to go through dreadful contract terminations due to the inability of carriers to provide last-mile services. It caused an immense loss since the companies could not find a rapid solution.

The shippers faced great difficulty and disappointment since parcel carriers applied their annual General Rate Increase (GRI), adding increased accessorial fees and peak surcharges. It left shippers frantically searching for affordable alternative last-mile carrier solutions.

Shippers were unprepared to adapt to the sudden and misfortunate changes and absorb the increases. They also found that engaging the parcel carriers in contract re-negotiations is pointless.

During these trying times, it’s crucial to keep in mind a few tactics so shippers and carriers can reduce shipping errors and improve on-time delivery with accurate, real-time data.

Get the first mile right:

Improve the first mile by adjusting two simple factors of the supply chain.

Audit what ships: Upgrade the consumer experience by a degree by verifying precisely what leaves a shipper’s facility and at what time it departs. Keep your customers informed and in the loop if there’s a sudden change in delivery.

Customers will be more understanding of delayed delivery if they are accurately informed during the process. You can stop announcing when the label is printed; instead, start the delivery timeline when the package has hit the road.

Share the audit info: Every customer should have access to the plan and the actual shipment data. More importantly, ensure the customers are proactively involved. If the customers know beforehand the package didn’t ship on time, it won’t cause as many problems as keeping them under the rock would.

By sharing the data, you can connect both the organisations and provide earlier visibility into packages as they ship. In the process, you will be able to improve on-time delivery rates.

Now that the supply chain is rapidly accepting technology, you will see positive outcomes and numerous benefits soon. The key is to focus on the first mile, making a difference for the last mile. It will result in many more happy and satisfied customers.

Secure and affordable last-mile delivery:

You can secure valuable sales by providing reliable and cost-effective last-mile delivery.

If you search for storage units near me, you will most likely stumble upon London’s rapidly growing and most hassle-free storage company, STORED. They have implemented the successful tactic of providing their customers only the most reliable and cost-effective, which is the secret of their success.

The key is to build loyalty with customers, so they choose your services whenever required. Another way to safeguard customer loyalty is to provide them with the knowledge that the retailer also provides the service of shipping from the store.

It is established that customers value, appreciate and prefer direct delivery to their homes. Home delivery is an essential option when deciding from which brand they will purchase goods.

Lastly, it is critical to get returned items back in inventory as soon as possible to refrain from any higher loss. It’s wise and necessary for retailers to manage returned merchandise efficiently and cost-effectively.

All last-mile carriers have been forced to evolve quickly in the past year.

The pandemic has turned late deliveries into a great dilemma. The problems with transportation, supply chain, and logistics industries have contributed to late, lost and damaged deliveries since the beginning of respective sectors.

Constant recalibration, live updates and shared information with customers and carriers will help a great deal in overcoming similar issues in the upcoming years where the future is uncertain.

Don’t assume that everything is planned once duties from your end are completed. Please make sure they go according to your standards by being proactive throughout the entire process.

Author Bio:

Zeeshan Hussain Bhatti is a blogger by passion and a Digital strategist & Tech Geek by profession, having a tech background and experience in I.T development services, Zeeshan is eager towards exploring the modern-day tech landscape. With Storage Bristol and interest in technology, Bhatti writes about leading edge technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Automotive Industry, Logo Designing and much more.