Last mile delivery is an important part of every eCommerce business process. Businesses leveraging the potential of the digital revolution to climb the growth know its value.

This critical part of the supply chain refers to the operations performed to transport products from the stockroom to customers’ doorstep. It is usually a great opportunity for businesses to assess the possibility of some important aspects. The list includes but is not limited to the following only:

• Product quality.
• Customer satisfaction.
• Customer experience.
• The shopping experience of customers on their platform.
• The amount of money an organization can save and earn on shipping.
• Transportation of defect-free products to the customer with flawless packaging.

Most eCommerce and logistics businesses in the world value it for many more reasons. You will realize its importance only after your business experiences the benefits it offers.

We will discuss it later in the future. The objective of today’s post is something else.

What Is The Purpose of Today’s Post?

Today’s post is to throw light on two things mentioned below:

• First, the way it works.
• Second, challenges in it.

How Do Last-mile Delivery Services Work?

This is one of the most important things you should learn about first. The entire process involves the following:

• Placement of orders.
• Fulfillment of orders.
• Route optimizations.
• Last mile delivery.
• Confirmation of delivery.

These five things collectively remove or reduce several business challenges on the business front. But how? We suggest you read further to learn about it.

• Placement Of Order:

Customers usually nowadays place orders through the official websites or mobile apps of companies.

As a result, companies in the domain of retail sales or logistics receive and process these orders.

This is the first operation performed in the process.

• Fulfillment Of Order:

The product ordered is collected, boxed, and prepared to be shipped at the warehousing facility or fulfillment center. Once the shipment is ready, it’s loaded into the dispatch vehicle.

• Route Optimization:

It is one of the most important aspects of the entire process. Its purpose is to determine the best possible delivery routes to reduce the following:

• Transportation and shipping routes:
• Cost of fuel, transportation, and shipping process.
• Money that goes into dealing with vehicle wear and tear.

The quality and effectiveness of route optimization are subject to factors like distance, traffic, and delivery time windows.

• Last Mile Delivery:

This is the most important aspect of the entire process. It comes into play once the product ordered reaches a storage facility available nearby the final location of product delivery.

This location could be anything from the following:

• Customer’s residence.
• Customer’s place of employment.
• Customers’ office address.

Customers can even choose some public locations in order to receive their products. All in all, the delivery executive of your company delivers products to customers at the location of their choosing.

• Confirmation Of Delivery:

Delivery confirmation is an equally important part of the entire cycle. It determines many things. Take a look at the list below for instance…

• Quality of product
• Satisfaction level of customers
• Quality of customers’ experience delivery, product safety, and packaging.
• Shopping experience your customers have received from your brand.
• The value of money your organization has invested in the shipping and delivery process.
• Safe, successful, and timely transportation of products to your customer.

What is more important is this process significantly determines the growth and future of your business. It concludes successfully once your delivery executive obtains confirmation from the customer using one of the following methods:

• Traditional signature on register with a pen.
• Digital signature.
• Through the photo capture system.

You need to know a couple of more things about it. A couple of challenges mentioned in this post are one of those things.

Challenges In The Final Mile Delivery Process

Like said earlier, it is a complex process for every business trying to harness the potential of the digital revolution. The nature of the complexities involved in it affects your business significantly and in a myriad of ways.

We are of the opinion that you must know the list of those challenges for this reason. Our team values your trust in us. We have listed those complexities for you for this reason.

Take a good look at the list given below:

• Traffic congestion is one of the biggest challenges.
• How can you forget about limited visibility?
• Missed deliveries are another complex final mile delivery challenge.
• Effectivement management of returns is also a hard nut to crack.
• Dealing with delivery window constraints is also not a cakewalk.
• Management of costs is another huge challenge.
• A sudden surge in demand also becomes an issue.
• There is always a possibility of product theft and damage.
• The impact of environmental conditions during the shipping or delivery process cannot be ignored or sidelined.
• Lack of roads, railways, airways, or other mediums usually multiplies the delivery time and costs significantly.

We will throw light on these final mile delivery-related challenges in-depth later in the future. We hope you have understood some important concepts for your business. We expect you to make the most of this knowledge in the best possible way.

In case your business is struggling with it, we are here to help you. Do you need help?

Don’t worry then! You have come to the right place at the right time!

Just tell us your goals, needs, expectations, and the issues your business is facing. Our team will get back to you with the best possible solutions and strategies at the earliest.

Lading Logistics has everything to exceed your requirements, expectations, and goals without breaking the bank. More importantly, we house the best final-mile delivery solution specialists in the world.

All in all, we are the right hand you need to count on.

We are waiting for your message!

FAQs:

What Factors Can Be Used With Final Mile Delivery?

Final Mile Delivery can help businesses assess factors like the quality of products, customer satisfaction, customers’ shopping experience, and the amount of money your organization can save and earn on shipping. Even the percentage and chances of transporting defect-free and perfectly packaged products to the customers is also one of those key things.

How Does This Delivery Service Work?

It usually works on the basis of the following. The list includes but is not limited to the placement of orders, fulfillment of orders, optimization of routes, and delivery confirmation.

What Makes Last Mile Delivery So Difficult?

Several things make it a challenging task. The list includes but is not limited to traffic congestion, limited visibility, missed deliveries, effective management of returns, and delivery window related constraints. How can you forget the way cost management, a sudden surge in demand, environmental conditions, limited access to modes of transportation, travel & delivery, and chances of theft and damage to the product during the transit period make it a difficult task to accomplish?

What Factors Affect And Determine The Quality of Route Optimization?

Several factors affect and determine the quality of route optimization. The safety of transportation and shipping routes, cost & quantity of fuel consumption, transportation & shipping process, amount of money that goes into dealing with wear and tear in the shipping/delivery vehicle, distance, traffic, and delivery time windows are some of those key factors.

Why Confirmation Of Delivery Is An Important Part of Final Mile Delivery?

It is an important part of it to determine the quality of the product, satisfaction level of customers, and quality of customers’ experience related to delivery, product safety, and packaging. It also helps determine the quality of shopping experience your customers enjoy on your website or mobile app from your brand, the chances of safe, successful, and timely product delivery to your customers, and the value of money and time your company has invested in it to ensure safe, successful and timely delivery of products to customers.