It’s important for retailers to manage the beginning and the end of their supply chain logistics process, it’s considered as a key step to their survival. Both first mile and last mile deliveries consist of complex processes. If we look into it further, it determines a logistics business’s ability to carry out their operations and a flawless delivery performance.
So what exactly is First Mile Delivery? It is described as the very first step of transferring products in the logistics supply chain process – the movement of a load from its manufacturing facility to a warehouse, online retail stops from where the 3pl deliveries take place by courier managing delivery services. In short, it’s the first step in starting the delivery.
Considering B2C and the rapidly progressing logistics industry, retailers want to please their customers with the perfect delivery system, the digital savvy consumers of today’s time demand instant features. Hence retailers and specially online businesses must rely on a properly connected logistics structure to provide the desired consumer experience and enhance the overall delivery experience. For this, two critical aspects of the process are considered to be the first mile and last mile delivery. The former in initiating the process and the latter delivering the desired quality making the experience seamless.
The importance and benefits of first mile deliveries can be easily explained with the rise of urban consolidation centers where deliveries from different suppliers come together in one unit and the shipments are carried out from that point onwards – saving up on company’s costs, helping eCommerce prosper, paving the way for online business’s success and allowing them to make timely deliveries.
This also helps optimize the process with fewer shipments and helping companies be more responsible in terms of sustainability by reducing the fuel cost and CO2 emissions with only needed trips. This adds to reducing the traffic congestion as well and allowing delivery services to reduce their vehicle maintenance costs.
Lorryz has always been a big advocate for sustainability initiatives, our first mile deliveries are serving various industries in the construction, medical and pharmaceutical, aviation and the retail industry. Our partners get full transparency of their goods being transported from point A to B with our client management software and inside analytics to their businesses logistics function sorted. The first mile deliveries are well planned and equipped to handle any unforeseen circumstances along the route to provide optimized delivery solutions.
Another thing helping first mile deliveries to come into existence is through the involvement of cloud based Transportation Management Systems (TMS) helping the logistics companies be more transparent, traceable, proactive and aiding towards better profitability.
The next time you wonder how one-day deliveries work, think of the process behind it. Customers who want to purchase online and receive their goods quickly with prime services, sometimes even within a matter of hours: the logistics space has heard them loud and clear! Same-day-deliveries had been introduced for this same purpose enhancing overall efficiency of the supply chain and managing distribution models. First mile deliveries have surely made companies manage the intricacy of supply chain networks and help logistics companies manage operations flawlessly.