In today's e-commerce landscape, on-time delivery is no longer a bonus – it's the expectation. But what happens when your perfectly packed and shipped order gets stuck in the final stretch? The "last mile" – that critical journey from the distribution center to your customer's doorstep – can be fraught with challenges, leading to delays, frustrated customers, and a potential tarnish on your brand reputation.
You're already familiar with the common last mile challenges businesses face, because you're addressing those challenges daily. But it can get easier. We understand the last mile's impact on customer satisfaction and are here to help you conquer the final mile with our powerful last mile delivery software. Ziing is designed to empower your business with the tools to streamline deliveries, supercharge your distribution solutions, keep your customers informed, and, ultimately, help facilitate a successful business.
The Final Mile: A Costly Crossroads with Customer Experience at Stake
Final mile delivery can be a thorn in the side of a smooth supply chain. While it represents the final leg of a product's journey, it's often the most expensive and impactful step, accounting for up to 53% of shipping costs. Yet, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), over 80% of executives consider the last mile to be the most important part of their business.
Here's why the final mile is such a challenge:
Cost Crunch:
Densely populated areas mean frequent stops, higher fuel consumption, and potential traffic jams – all pushing up costs. Expedited or off-hour deliveries? Expect a steeper price tag.
Routing Roadblocks:
Poor planning leads to backtracking, wasted time, and increased fuel use. This inefficiency translates directly to higher costs for your business.
Delivery Duds:
If you can't guarantee a seamless delivery, you're leaving money on the table. Whether its:
- Delayed Deliveries: Customers today expect fast and reliable delivery. Delays lead to frustration and a negative perception of your brand. Over 98% of customers consider the delivery portion of their eCommerce journey to be the key influencer of brand loyalty. It's expedited shipping or nothing.
- Missed Deliveries: A major inconvenience, missed deliveries can damage trust in your company.
- Damaged Goods: Products mishandled during final mile delivery can lead to customer dissatisfaction, replacements, refunds, and a hit to your profits.
- Negative Online Reviews: Disgruntled customers are more likely to share their bad experiences online, impacting your brand reputation and deterring potential customers.
No one wants to miss the mark when it comes to deliveries. Then there's the ripple effect; extra costs for redeliveries, storage, and customer service.
The Returns Domino Effect:
A bumpy final mile experience can trigger a surge in returns. Missed deliveries or damaged packages lead to unhappy customers more likely to send things back. Processing, restocking, and reverse logistics add to the financial burden. Consider this: a Honeywell survey found that 32% of customers wouldn't return to a retailer after a bad experience. To win them back, it would take an average of 12 positive experiences.
The Final Mile, Technology, and Your Customer
The final mile is the grand finale of your customer's shopping experience. The faster and more efficient you can make it, the better the outlook for your success. The search for that competitive edge can be an arduous, but necessary, one. For example, 68% of consumers look for the shortest delivery time when considering an online retailer. On the other hand, 72% of online shoppers prioritize convenient delivery times over fast delivery. Hence, finding a solution that maximizes both of these preferences would be ideal.
Beyond Traditional Solutions
The final mile landscape isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Traditional options often lack the flexibility businesses need for an efficient and effective service. We’ve covered most of the limitations in previous blogs; namely the limitations that national carriers, local carriers, and in-house fleets have to deal with, as well as the reality of managing your own, potentially aging, fleet. There’s no need to re-cover that ground.
There is, however, another consideration; a better way to navigate the final mile challenge; technology.
The Future Fleet
Given how important the final mile is, there’s been a push to seek ways to optimize how carriers operate. Whether it’s with advancing tracking solutions, upgraded transportation, or managing their fleets, there’s a need to do things differently. At present, there isn’t a widespread adoption of the latest technology and software tools across the board. For example:
- Over half (55%) of retailers still rely on manual, inefficient order planning and dispatch, according to a 2022 survey, which hinders effective route planning.
- Research conducted by PwC, found that 83% of executives that have leaned into upgrades for their delivery solutions, say their supply chain technology investments haven’t fully delivered expected results yet.
- Visibility is a huge pain point. A survey conducted by Bringg found that 61% of retailers lack visibility once orders are out for delivery. More than a quarter of those same respondents (26%) say the visibility issue becomes worse when working with multiple delivery partners.
All of these factors, and more, are hurting their bottom line, considering:
- In a survey conducted by SOTI in 2022, 68% of customer respondents say they expect to have complete visibility into the shipping and delivery process, knowing where their order is at all times throughout the delivery process.
- Nearly 75% of shippers admit that they’re placing a bigger emphasis on technology solutions when evaluating and selecting a 3PL partner.
Hence, a logistics partner that can offer technology solutions to these pain points, gets the win. All the more reason to embrace innovation.
Ziing to the Rescue: How Last Mile Delivery Software Enhances Customer Experience
The only way to build a future-proof and forward-thinking logistics solution is to fully embrace technology. Especially when it comes to dedicated and distribution services. We don’t like to leave anything to chance and therefore, we’ve turned traditional delivery methods on their heads and revolutionized your distribution with features specifically designed to enhance customer experience, with software solutions based on real-time data, analytics, and machine learning. Regardless of which one of our shipping ecosystems you're attached to, you'll have access to software tools.
Optimized Routes & Faster Deliveries:
Imagine your delivery drivers weaving through traffic jams, wasting precious time and fuel. Ziing eliminates this frustration with intelligent route optimization. Our last mile delivery software analyzes factors like traffic patterns, real-time road conditions, and driver location to create the most efficient delivery routes possible. This translates to faster deliveries for your customers, keeping them happy and reducing the risk of missed deadlines.
Real-time Tracking & Customer Communication:
Ziing's software provides customers with a user-friendly interface to track their deliveries in real-time, from the moment it leaves the warehouse to the moment it arrives at their doorstep. We’ve done away with the nightmare of not knowing where your package is between scanning events. Gone are the days of customers anxiously checking their mailboxes – Ziing empowers them with complete transparency and peace of mind. Plus, Ziing facilitates automated customer notifications, keeping them informed of delivery progress and estimated arrival times.
Flexible Delivery Options:
Today's customers crave convenience. Ziing empowers you to meet their needs with a variety of flexible delivery options. Offer scheduled deliveries to give customers control over when they receive their packages. Cater to busy lifestyles with same-day delivery windows or overnight delivery allowing customers to choose a time slot that works for them. By providing these options, you demonstrate that you value their time and convenience, fostering customer loyalty and satisfaction.
The Ziing Advantage: Customer Satisfaction and Business Growth
The positive impact of Ziing's last mile delivery software goes far beyond just streamlining operations. By enhancing the customer experience, Ziing unlocks a powerful formula for business growth: satisfied customers who become loyal brand advocates. All due to our investments and interest in AI, Machine Learning, innovation, and willingness to go that extra mile.
Imagine the delight of your customers when they consistently receive their orders on time, or even ahead of schedule. No more missed appointments or scrambling to reschedule because of unexpected delays. Ziing's real-time tracking empowers them to stay informed and manage their deliveries with confidence. This transparency fosters trust and strengthens their relationship with your brand.
But the benefits extend beyond just on-time deliveries and flexible delivery windows. They make you a trusted partner. By catering to the diverse needs of your customer base, you’re demonstrating that you value their time and convenience.
The positive impact on your brand reputation goes further. By consistently exceeding customer expectations with efficient and transparent deliveries, via our software suite, Ziing helps you build a reputation for reliability and customer-centricity. This not only fosters loyalty among existing customers but also attracts new customers seeking a superior delivery experience.
Ultimately, Ziing's last mile delivery software isn't just about logistics – it's about building stronger customer relationships and fueling long-term growth for your business.
