Everyone can be a retailer with last-mile delivery

Today, with the rise of digital disruption, consumer expectations for fast and convenient urban deliveries are higher than ever.

Consumers want whatever they order online to be delivered today, not tomorrow or the next day. To compete with Amazon, businesses need to meet their customers’ demands to stay relevant in this dynamic market — they need to offer that ‘last-mile’ delivery.

However, last-mile deliveries are hard to crack. In an exclusive interview with TechHQ, Danny Hawkins, CTO and Co-founder of Quiqup spills the beans on the why and how of last-mile deliveries, making a business case for the service.

“The time, cost, and carbon efficient movement of goods within cities has been an upward battle that businesses have had to deal with for decades. And that’s where last-mile delivery platforms come in,” explained Hawkins.

It’s a service that empowers businesses to stand up against big tech and e-companies by making their goods just as readily available and accessible in the urban landscape.

The technology behind these services often allows companies to seamlessly integrate with their existing e-commerce platforms and powers quick and convenient deliveries to their customers.

As a result, businesses no longer need to worry about investing in and managing a fleet, expensive order processing & driver assignment software, or delivery excellence.

They can focus on what they do best, and outsource the complicated logistics to last-mile delivery providers, and still meet the expectations consumers have to fast and convenient urban deliveries.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that a last-mile delivery service can turn anyone into a retailer, but it can certainly turn any budding retailer, with products to sell and a working internet connection, into one that fulfills flexible local deliveries quickly and efficiently,” said Hawkins.

These days, there are Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that help people set up an online store in no time. Last-mile delivery services can plug into those solutions and power their subsequent deliveries.

On the other hand, last-mile delivery solutions can help traditional retailers, even those without an online store, broaden their propositions to include deliveries.

So for example, a local pharmacy can easily use a last-mile delivery service to deliver repeat prescriptions or ad hoc medications to its customers in the neighborhood.

Again, consumer expectations are shifting and the last best experience that anyone has anywhere becomes the minimum expectation for the experience they want everywhere.

So when consumers are used to the speed of Amazon Prime delivery services, they come to expect that from all retailers.

For last-mile delivery providers, helping any retailer, from a small local flower stand to a large multinational grocer, succeed in the digital age, is the ultimate value proposition.

How last-mile delivery transforms the CX

Last mile delivery improves the customer experience in a very direct way.

In fact, 76 percent of consumers view the end delivery experience as the true test of how much a brand values them. If customers aren’t satisfied with delivery, they aren’t satisfied with the brand. Period.

“Last mile delivery providers help consumers get the best out of their city by granting them access to their favorite goods, on-demand,” explained Hawkins.

Whether it’s a young mother who needs nappies for her baby right away or a boyfriend who needs a gift for his girlfriend’s birthday, they can get whatever they need, delivered to their doorstep (or desks) within a few hours.

Last-mile service providers can also help offer consumers peace of mind with ETAs and real-time visibility on their orders across the delivery journey (similar to Uber) and direct contact with the driver in case they wish to call or message.

Gone are the days when shoppers bought products online, received order confirmations, and then got nothing but radio silence until the order lands on their doorstep.

“Last mile delivery services now provide real-time tracking so that the customer knows exactly where their package is, every step of the way,” said Hawkins, who will be speaking more about last-mile deliveries at the Tech. event in London later next month.

The bottom line is, last-mile services can support several businesses and help them not only deliver on customer expectations but also significantly improve their customer experience.

 

TechHQ is the official media partner to Tech. in London next month. Readers can avail of a 30 percent discount on passes using the code TECHHQ3018.