Focus has been placed on last mile logistics because, in many cases, this is a key differentiator for retailers. Because consumers can easily shop for product alternatives retailers and their supply chain partners must provide exceptional service to gain market share and build brand loyalty.
Last mile delivery is becoming more important than ever due to the surge of online orders. E-commerce sales are expected to reach $1.35 billion by 2018, an increase of 28.8% from 2013. These expected increases span across a variety of product types including apparel, entertainment, food, health & beauty, electronics and more.
Retailers must begin to prepare their transportation networks for traffic fluctuations caused by the expected growth in online sales. Traditional transportation methods such as UPS, FedEx and USPS are not successful in all regions and retailers are beginning to search for alternatives to satisfy their needs. In order to accommodate faster shipping times, changing regulation and infrastructure limitations retailers and their transportation partners have started to research delivery alternatives including click-to-collect locations, local regional carriers, drones and much more.
By focusing on last mile delivery alternatives retailers are able to provide and guarantee exceptional service levels to their customers and adapt to the constantly changing omnichannel retail environment. To learn more about last mile delivery and omni-channel retailing contact Datex experts today at marketing@datexcorp.com or www.datexcorp.com .
