The uberization of the last mile

Offering fast, same day or next day delivery has become an expectation for many online shoppers. But it’s a huge challenge for logistics companies, especially in big cities. A new delivery model has arrived on the scene that’s set to revolutionize inner-city deliveries

At DHL eCommerce, we’re all about delivering the smile in the last mile. But it’s no easy thing to do. Customer expectations have risen exponentially over the past few years. Thanks to the Amazon Prime effect consumers have come to expect same day delivery as standard rather than an added option. According to eMarketer, some 51% of retailers offered same day delivery in 2017, which is a massive jump from 16% in 2016.

Customers also expect to be able to track their goods, from order right through to delivery. In fact, some 47% consumers would not order from a merchant again if they offered poor delivery visibility.

Another challenge is the ongoing fragmentation of the last mile delivery landscape. There’s now an abundance of regional and local delivery providers that retailers have to manage which has led to a lack of standardization and complexity in the last mile delivery.

According to Accenture, 68% of retailers say that a direct consumer to shipper relationship is one of their top priorities. As the lines between retailers and shippers start to blur, solutions that tie retail demand with shipper supply, and optimize it, will become more important.

Time for something different

All these challenges are putting enormous pressure on last mile deliverers and traditional methods can’t provide the solutions. It’s no longer possible to meet customer’s or retailer’s delivery expectations with the standard delivery options, especially in busy inner-cities, so a new type of flexible delivery service is needed. 

Which is why we launched DHL Parcel Metro. This new, fast, flexible and fully visible solution is already changing the face of urban deliveries in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

What is it? You could say it’s like the uberization of the last mile. Basically, we crowdsource delivery to make it faster and more cost efficient.

But that’s not all. As well as offering a local day and time definite, cost efficient and flexible delivery service, we’ve also perfected tech-enabled features to enhance consumer’s end delivery experience and ensure its transparency from pick-up right to the front door.

Same day delivery made easy

It’s a simple solution driven by a high-end-technology. Retailers can access the products with the touch of a button via a mobile device, offering an easily accessible and highly customizable mobile-based experience. 

The solution offers small- and medium-sized businesses a cost-efficient way to meet increasing consumer demands, while giving customers control and transparency over their deliveries.

It’s also highly replicable. Already established in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the knowledge and experience we’ve gained in these cities means we can easily replicate the solution in other cities globally according to demand.

We’re convinced our new time and day definite solution is the way to go for metropolitan deliveries. But don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself! You can find out all about Parcel Metro here.