Leveraging Last-Mile Tracking to Drive eCommerce Success
TrackingMore
#1 Multi-Carrier Shipment Tracking API for E-commerce and Logistics Businesses
Last week, we explored the tactical perspective on the last-mile delivery process. Building on that foundation, we now shift our focus to the technological advancements shaping the future of last-mile delivery, with a particular emphasis on last-mile tracking.
As this topic grows increasingly sophisticated, it warrants further examination to uncover the practical aspects and real-world benefits of last-mile tracking. This discussion will delve into the role of last-mile carriers and the advantages that real-time last-mile tracking can provide to businesses.
Specifically, we will explore how advanced last-mile tracking solutions can help organizations better manage their delivery operations, optimize routes, and provide customers with accurate delivery updates. Additionally, we will introduce TrackingMore, an advanced tracking API solution, and how it can help you supercharge your last-mile tracking process.
By the end of this article, you will have a deeper understanding of how last-mile tracking can be a game-changing solution for your business, and why this solution is poised to stay as a critical component in the evolving eCommerce landscape.
Importance of Last-Mile Tracking
The last mile of the delivery process is the most complex and costly stage, as it involves navigating urban environments, dealing with traffic, and ensuring timely and efficient delivery to the customer. This is where last-mile tracking solutions play a crucial role.
These technologies provide real-time visibility into the delivery process, allowing businesses and customers to track the location and status of their shipments.
Carriers play a vital role in the success of last-mile tracking solutions. These delivery providers, such as USPS, FedEx, and UPS, are the ones who handle the final stage of the delivery process, picking up packages from the nearest distribution hub and transporting them to the customer’s doorstep. By integrating their tracking systems with last-mile technologies, carriers can provide real-time updates on the location and status of each shipment.
With the competitive eCommerce landscape, it means that customers will not tolerate bad last mile experiences. Here are three key reasons why businesses should focus on optimizing their last-mile efforts:
The efficiency argument
Last-mile carriers can focus on delivering packages from the final hub to the delivery address, while the original carrier can concentrate on deliveries between its own hubs without spending resources on unfamiliar local deliveries.
The use of last-mile tracking solutions facilitates this division of labor and can improve efficiency, ensuring a smoother delivery process.
The cost-saving argument
Last-mile delivery can account for up to 53% of total shipping costs, with the average last-mile delivery process costing retailers $10 per package. Costs can further accumulate when additional challenges such as incorrect or incomplete addresses, package theft, and failed delivery attempts occur. Therefore, the use of last-mile tracking solutions is deemed beneficial for long-term cost savings.
The customer argument
The importance of last-mile delivery is further underscored by these changing customer expectations, as poor last-mile experiences can significantly impact a retailer's reputation and future business. This can be further understood by the fact that:
With the competitive eCommerce landscape, it means that customers will not tolerate bad last mile experiences.
Components of Successful Last-Mile Tracking
Successful last-mile tracking solutions often incorporate the following critical components:
Real-time updates
There are a few questions that eCommerce companies should ask themselves: Is the last-mile tracking solution able to reflect up-to-date information on the journey of a customer’s package? How effective is this process?
Real-time updates are a crucial component of a successful last-mile tracking system. These updates enable businesses to keep customers informed about the status and location of their orders in nearly real-time. By integrating with carrier systems and leveraging GPS data, last-mile tracking solutions can provide customers with a continuous stream of information on where their package is, when it is expected to be delivered, and if any delays or exceptions have occurred that require further attention.
A good eCommerce player should explore different approaches to delivering real-time updates to their customers. This can include providing tracking numbers through carrier updates or mobile apps. One option to consider is integrating comprehensive tracking APIs, such as those offered by TrackingMore, into their systems.
Proactive communication
While real-time data is crucial for last-mile tracking, it is not enough on its own. This information needs to be effectively translated into useful updates and communication for customers.
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A well-designed last-mile tracking solution should enable proactive notifications to customers about the status and progress of their orders. This can be achieved through timely updates delivered via email, SMS, or push notifications.
Another important aspect is to ensure that these proactive notifications provide relevant and actionable information to customers, such as:
By adopting a proactive communication approach, eCommerce businesses can keep customers informed about the journey of their package. This helps to manage customer expectations, reduce the number of “Where Is My Order” (WISMO) inquiries, and ultimately improve overall customer satisfaction with the delivery experience.
Delivery management
As customers place orders from around the world, the final leg of the journey becomes an individual, door-to-door delivery. This last-mile stage is crucial in ensuring the timely and successful delivery of packages to customers.
The last-mile delivery process can also be highly complex, with a myriad of potential anomalies that can impact the delivery timeline and customer experience. These anomalies can include weather-related delays, address issues, or the recipient not being available at the time of delivery.
A robust last-mile tracking system plays a vital role in helping eCommerce businesses manage these delivery complexities. By providing real-time updates and reasons for any delays, the tracking system enables businesses to proactively address issues and minimize the impact on their overall delivery plans.
Last-Mile Tracking in Practice
The benefits of last-mile tracking may seem straightforward, but the practical implementation and considerations can be more intricate than they initially appear.
As an eCommerce business, you may find yourself grappling with various factors when it comes to optimizing your last-mile delivery experience. Here are the key questions to consider:
Business Model Fit
Ensuring the tracking solution aligns with your unique business model and operational needs is crucial. For example, if you are an online retailer selling bulky furniture, your last-mile tracking requirements may differ significantly from a cosmetics company shipping small, fragile packages. Other factors such as carrier availability, delivery volume, and geographical spread of your customer base should also be taken into account.
Growth and Scalability
As your eCommerce business expands, your last-mile tracking requirements may evolve. Evaluating the solution’s ability to accommodate increased order volume, expanded delivery areas, and potential changes in your supply chain is essential. A well-integrated tracking solution can provide a single, unified view of your last-mile operations, while ensuring seamless integration with your existing systems.
Cost and Budget
Carefully considering upfront costs, maintenance fees, and overall impact on your operations will help you make an informed decision.
Customer Experience
Ultimately, the success of your last-mile tracking efforts should be measured by their impact on the customer experience. Features like real-time delivery updates, delivery confirmation, and clear communication about delays can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, putting you in a significant competitive advantage.
Optimize Last-Mile Tracking with TrackingMore
At the heart of our last-mile tracking solution lies a simple, yet powerful, premise: To empower businesses like yours to grow and succeed.
Whether you are a rising direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand or an agile dropshipping operation, our comprehensive, multi-carrier last-mile tracking capabilities at TrackingMore are designed to elevate your delivery experience and drive customer satisfaction.
Our scalable platform is a perfect fit for businesses of all sizes, from nimble startups to large enterprises. We understand that no two supply chains are alike, which is why we have built a robust and adaptable solution that can seamlessly integrate with your existing logistics and eCommerce infrastructure.
Here is how TrackingMore can optimize your last-mile tracking:
Ready to take your last-mile delivery to new heights? Schedule a personalized demo with our product specialists today and discover how TrackingMore’s last-mile tracking solutions can help your business thrive.