Last Mile Fulfilment…

The final stage of the delivery process offers a key area of growth for all retail, however, in order to achieve wins, many businesses have identified the picking process as an area to make significant investment. Increased productivity of online businesses and grocers (offering home delivery) is often achieved by establishing automated picking systems and having a network of good quality distribution centers.

Automated distribution centers are aiming to reduce picking times from 74 mins to 5 mins. In terms of industry leaders, Ocado has invested in very sophisticated, automated centers and are looking to combine all shopping needs into one delivery, resulting in customers getting more product choice i.e. fresh, frozen, ambient and electrical – all picked, packed and delivered from one van.

Robotic deliveries reflect such investment and provide an exciting opportunity for businesses to reliably deliver to customers without the restrictions that might come along with an employee. Such as 24/7 operation, no breaks and no salary!

Many communities have seen trial delivery operations in their neighborhood as retailers test the success rates of this increasingly available technology. Since space on board such robotics is limited, there are downsides relating to size and quantity of product available, but there’s no denying the popularity of these delivery droids.

The ever-increasing partnerships between retailers and delivery businesses hold the key to success within this area of growth. To maintain a happy customer base, it is essential to deliver packages on time to the right address (being able to track packages can also be helpful). A company’s scalability can also be improved by minimizing failed deliveries, reducing mileage, and optimizing the complete delivery process.