Going from Good to Great with Last Mile Deliveries

Hurray! It’s mid-2021, and we’re finally getting some normalcy back into our daily lives.?One thing for sure is our buying behaviors have changed and a lot of what we’ve adapted to in the past year is here to stay. Especially with 61% of consumers saying they would still pay to have same-day or next-day delivery.?That’s why last-mile delivery solutions need to evolve from being good during the pandemic too great in the future.

During the pandemic, stores utilized methods such as curbside pickup and other contactless delivery solutions to meet consumer demands, but at what price to their brand value and customer experience?

Many retailers also started using crowdsourced or gig delivery drivers, which was a necessity at the time, to keep goods flowing.?These drivers are considered independent contractors with whom we all have shared good and bad experiences. ?While some gig delivery companies struggle to be profitable, retailers are chasing to find answers to customer complaints. Brands are left powerless to control the gig delivery experience and while retailers absolutely need to consider alternatives to traditional parcel carriers, solely relying on the gig worker puts everyone at high risk. ?Lessons learned from the pandemic, using one primary national parcel carrier who may or may not have capacity, is risky business.?

And, while a flexible workforce allows for volume fluctuations, it’s a known fact that gig delivery companies are having a difficult time finding available drivers. Also, the gig workforce was designed to be on-demand so it’s nearly impossible to have any delivery consistency or predictability.?As e-commerce grows and other businesses utilize the gig delivery model, it’s become more challenging to have any control over the customer delivery experience.

Retailers who are using gig or thinking about it must do a thorough risk assessment to uncover if your brand can afford to use the gig workforce.?There’s more than on-time delivery at stake, it’s the brand’s value and customer loyalty, that also needs to be considered.

So how does a retailer go from good to great??They partner with GEODIS City Delivery for last-mile delivery to ensure a consistent, predicable, and seamless customer experience. GEODIS City Delivery uses local delivery experts, in major metros, ensuring a quality and vetted driver is trained to execute the perfect delivery.?Enabled by GEODIS Zipline, an innovative technology application, customers can follow their deliveries in real-time by opting-in for SMS messaging. This ensures transparency and trackability of every package.

What’s more, white glove delivery services are quite popular these days, especially with more people continuing to work from home. As an extension of last-mile, offering white glove services and a host of other solutions, GEODIS City Delivery helps retailers extend the store experience into the home.

More now than ever, it's crucial retailers diversify their last-mile delivery partners, especially before peak season 2021. See how you can increase overall customer satisfaction and expand your brand loyalty with the help of GEODIS City Delivery.?