Last-mile delivery is the part of the delivery process where the customer finally gets their product. It requires a fleet of small vehicles to individually deliver the products to residencies. The last-mile delivery has always been the costliest part of the process, but it has been even more difficult since the covid-19 pandemic struck the world. E-commerce has constantly been rising in stature and evolving as the customer demands keep getting higher. Customers these days require everything at the comfort of their home with the option of their product being replaced, and they want it all to happen as fast as possible.
Covid has impacted the businesses to make rapid, short-term changes for delivery systems and long-term structural changes for good. Suddenly, companies that own their delivery systems have an advantage in terms of making profits. As understanding as a customer might be for delays in their orders, other merchants would provide faster delivery because they are closer, have more access, or have more partnerships to fulfill the order quicker. These challenges make the business even more competitive.
Because of the pandemic, the demand saw a gigantic boom because people were forced to rely on home delivery for even the smallest items. As their boredom grew, businesses received orders for items that were not sold as much before, since people at home need more things than regular working people. Now, companies have a situation where they have more demand and more restrictions/lesser means to fulfill them.
Businesses with their own delivery system have a unique opportunity to launch multiple products. A good example is pizza chains with their own delivery system in place even before food delivery apps existed. They can now add breakfast and lunch items other than pizzas because they know people would buy those items. Another example is grocers who have been selling online pre-covid. These businesses can now open more delivery slots than earlier since they will have more markets for buying groceries online.
Before the pandemic, e-commerce trends like next-day delivery and same-day delivery were on the rise. Because of the pandemic, demand for these services is going to be evermore. As the restrictions of lockdown lift, companies must catch up to trends and put systems in place to deliver the same and elevated standard of deliveries than they had before covid. One way to do so is to partner up with a 3rd Party Logistics Company that thrives on keeping up with the latest supply chain trends and providing the same for their clients.
If you find it challenging to keep up with the times and last-mile deliveries, which have been getting very expensive for you, get in touch with ARK India today! We provide state-of-the-art supply chain management services. With our help, you can elevate the standards of your supply chain operations such as warehousing, inventory management, secondary transportation, pick and pack service, and timely delivery of shipments to your customers. If you’re struggling to find ways to adapt and grow to the changing times, let us help you out! Put in an inquiry at [email protected] today.