How GPS Tracking Enhances Efficiency in Amazon's Delivery Network

Amazon is easily the biggest ecommerce store in North America and many other parts of the world. In 2023, the company's annual revenue exceeded $574.78 billion, an 11.83% increase from the previous year. In fact, Amazon's revenue has increased every year since at least 2009.

Amazon's success comes from more than running a large online marketplace where shoppers can find excellent deals on a broad range of products. Amazon buyers expect the company to exceed customer service expectations by keeping them informed.

That aspect of success depends on GPS tracking for Amazon deliveries.

GPS Devices in Amazon Warehouses

GPS plays roles in nearly every aspect of Amazon's delivery process, starting with the warehouse. The company uses GPS to track the locations of every item it stores. It also uses GPS-enabled wristbands to help employees find packages. When someone struggles to find an item to ship, the wristband will vibrate to point them in the right direction.

Finding Efficient Delivery Routes With GPS

Amazon works with about 275,000 delivery drivers, although the company is careful to note that its drivers aren't employees. They're freelance contractors. Courts around the country are wrestling with these claims.

Coordinating the effort of such a large fleet requires advanced technology. That's why GPS tracking for Amazon deliveries includes its proprietary Flex app.

Amazon Flex contains the addresses of customers who will receive deliveries each day. The app provides efficient driving directions that help drivers find addresses easily. Flex's dynamic nature lets it adapt driving routes to match evolving traffic trends. If traffic gets extremely heavy on one road, it might select an alternative route that helps the driver deliver the package sooner.

Delivery Time Notifications

For the most part, Amazon customers don't need to think about the process behind GPS tracking for Amazon deliveries. They do, however, have direct interaction with the company when packages get near their delivery addresses.

The Amazon app commonly updates delivery times so customers know when to expect their packages. By alerting them, Amazon can help lower the risk of "porch piracy." Just as importantly, the notifications show that Amazon prioritizes its customers. You're not left wondering when a package will arrive. It's often quite the opposite: you know almost to the minute when to expect a delivery.

How to Incorporate GPS Tracking Into Your Business Model

Amazon's size creates logistics problems that it has to solve to keep customers happy. Your business almost certainly doesn't face the same challenges, at least not at such an enormous scale.

That doesn't mean you won't benefit from learning how to incorporate GPS tracking for Amazon deliveries into your business model.

GPS Tracking for Deliveries

It all starts with choosing the right technology for your company and customers. LandAirSea (LAS) makes three GPS trackers that could potentially improve your customer services. Regardless of the device you choose, you will benefit from the innovative features that come with the SilverCloud app.

LAS SYNC

Whether you own a fleet of delivery vans or you outsource delivery services to self-employed drivers, the LAS SYNC can give you more control over customer services.

The SYNC connects into a vehicle's OBD-II port, so it always has a reliable power source. It will even send you a low-battery alert when your vehicle's battery has a low charge.

Once you connect the SYNC to a vehicle, you can:

• Access its real-time and historical location data
• Update driving directions to avoid traffic and improve efficiency
• Receive alerts about speeding and other types of reckless driving
• Get notifications when vehicles idle or stay in the same spot for too long (which could indicate unauthorized breaks)
• Estimated arrival times so you can send delivery alerts to your customers

LAS 54 and LAS Overdrive

You would most likely use an LAS 54 or Overdrive to track a high-value or otherwise important package. Simply put the GPS tracker into the package so you can monitor its journey to the customer.

The LAS 54 and LAS Overdrive are stand-alone GPS trackers with internal batteries. The 54 has a compact size that makes it useful for small packages. The Overdrive is larger, but it has a battery life that can easily go a month between recharging.

Since these LAS trackers connect to the SilverCloud app, you get the same features that make the SYNC so beneficial. Adding the trackers to packages, however, gives you a few other potential benefits, though. With a 54 or Overdrive, you can:

• Track individual packages instead of the vans delivering them
• Share location data with law enforcement if someone steals the package
• Confirm that packages were delivered to the right customer at the right time

Talk to LandAirSea About Your GPS Options

Although GPS tracking for Amazon deliveries won't fit perfectly into your business model, LandAirSea can help you choose a device and data plan that improve your customer services.

Send a message to [email protected] to learn more about our GPS devices and data plans. We'll help you find the right combination to match your business's needs.