What is Last-Mile Delivery?

In a product's journey, from the warehouse to the truck to the consumer's doorstep, the last mile is the final step of the delivery process; it is the point at which the product arrives at the buyer's residence or home. In other words, last-mile delivery (last-mile logistics) is the transportation of products from a distribution center to the final consumer.

The goal of last mile logistics is to deliver goods as affordably and quickly as possible. It is considered the most critical step of the supply chain process. If correctly done, last mile delivery can offer your company a competitive edge in the market.

Importance of Last-Mile Delivery

While each step of the delivery process is important, none of them is as critical as last-mile delivery. So, why is the last mile that important?

The Last Impression Matters

One thing to remember is that your customers won't see your supply chain process before the last mile- all they will remember is how the product got into their hands. If the item reaches the consumer in some flimsy packaging, they may dump you and choose a different store in the future.

It Is All About Customer Experience

Given the benchmarks set by the big boy Amazon, consumers tend to expect similar services when ordering from your store. Irrespective of traffic jams, weather conditions, and other obstacles that may affect delivery timelines, your customers want to receive their goods in the quickest way possible. They don't really care about how you will deliver them.

This has been informed by the ever-evolving market and demand for better customer experience across industries, such as food, eCommerce, and many more. With a well-organized last-mile delivery, your customers should receive their goods safely and on time.

Challenges of Last-Mile Delivery

The last leg of the logistics process is never a walk in the park as some people may think. The reason for this is that it typically involves multiple stops with low drop sizes. To efficiently manage this stage of product delivery, you must first identify and tackle the issues that befall it. Here are some of the challenges of last-mile delivery.

Cost

With the huge undertaking involved in delivering each item to the end user, the cost is easily a challenge when it comes to last-mile delivery. Finding some recipient addresses may be difficult, drivers have to contend with traffic, and there may be parking fees involved- not to mention possible track/vehicle breakdowns. If the buyer's item gets damaged, it will need to be replaced. All these put together make the last mile the most expensive stage of the delivery process.

Failed Deliveries

Yes, you don't have to worry about failed deliveries when distributing goods to supply chain partners or fulfillment centers. However, it is a different scenario when delivering goods to the final consumer; failed deliveries are a massive part of the equation.

Complex Routes

Typically, last-mile drivers have to cover a large number of stops. As a result, it is easier to lose track of the route and find themselves covering unnecessary miles. Maybe here add something about the sustainability part as more miles=more unsustainable. OR even more highlight the ecofriendliness. Warehouse closer to the customer, the shorter the route, the lesser complexity and CO2.

Transparency

Most consumers will want to know the progress of the delivery. While you may give your customers tracking codes to keep them in the know of their delivery status, these codes just don't cut it with customers in this age where technology rules. What the modern-day consumer wants is full disclosure of where their item is in real time.

How 3PLs Like OGOship Help with Last-Mile Delivery

While you may take advantage of good infrastructure and technological breakthroughs to effectively and efficiently execute your last-mile delivery using your in-house logistics team, it is evident that the challenges of this process are immense. Hence, you need to continuously focus on improving your services until you can reach a near-perfect last-mile delivery execution. That's where a third-party logistics provider like OGOship comes in.

OGOship and its partners have the necessary facilities and manpower to handle last-mile deliveries efficiently and transparently. We have established a global reach with several distribution centers near many major cities to ensure we deliver your products to customers without delay. We have also optimized our delivery routes to ensure faster deliveries, high productivity at optimized costs, and better resource utilization. Many eCommerce businesses have chosen OGOship as their last mile delivery solutions provider. It could be time you evaluate us too.