Change in Last-mile Delivery Trends Post-COVID-19

Covid-19 has changed the whole perspective on how businesses are managed and deliveries are done. COVID-19 has altered the way last-mile deliveries are made, starting with on-door deliveries and moving to contactless deliveries via drone.

Last-mile delivery is considered one of the most expensive business operations, and COVID-19 has made the process more complicated and expensive. COVID-19 has changed consumer behaviour with increasing health concerns and social distancing. However, a report by the World Economic Forum states that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in last-mile deliveries that is likely to persist.

COVID-19 had the greatest impact on food delivery, grocery delivery, and medication delivery. This blog focuses on discussing the challenges caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 and how technology has been able to counterfeit the last-mile delivery challenge in these industries.

Challenges faced in last-mile delivery during COVID-19

Safety concerns

Personal health and hygiene were the most important focus areas for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made door-step deliveries challenging. Customers were wary about the hygiene of the product in which it was picked, packed and dispatched, as well as the health of the delivery person.

Customer service

Businesses had to provide a timely and positive customer experience, which was one of the major challenges during COVID-19. Not only the delivery businesses had to adjust during that period, but other businesses also had to maintain high-end customer service.

Logistics

COVID-19 had a great impact on customer behaviour due to safety precautions and fear of getting infected. The customers requested deliveries at a certain distance, which not only increased the turnaround time but also the number of deliveries. Last-mile delivery became a major challenge due to changing customer behaviour and trends, which made the final leg expensive and inefficient.

Workforce management

COVID-19 not only consumers but also the staff of businesses. Having enough delivery personnel and managing them was a major challenge for the business. It became highly crucial to increase the efficiency of the business to cope with this situation.

Read More: How Coronavirus is Affecting the Local Delivery Business

How did technology help in dealing with the challenges of last-mile delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Agile order management

Efficient order management increases the efficiency of order fulfilment and comes with features like order tracking and auto-dispatching, real-time order status tracking, and generating order summaries and invoices.

Contactless deliveries

Contactless deliveries became a major trend during COVID-19. The driver clicks the picture of the order on the customer’s doorstep as electronic proof of delivery and leaves the order. The driver notifies the customer about order completion and the customer can collect their orders at their convenience. Payments for contactless deliveries are done online using OTPs or wallets.

Route navigational features

Route optimisation is a crucial feature that not only optimises the route but also reduces fuel costs and carbon footprints. The order sequencing feature of route optimisation reduces the chances of order mishandling. It also generates the estimated time of arrival of the order and allows customers to track their order in real time.

Auto-allocation

The business owner creates the delivery routes based on their deliverable areas and assigns these routes to the delivery person. Any new order placed is auto-allocated to the delivery person to whom that particular route has been defined.

Analytics

Having smart analytics helps in tracking the performance of the business, like the costs of operations and revenue over investment (ROI). This helps to understand the major key performance indicators (KPIs) of the business and plan its future business strategy.

Integrating a complete suite, like software for delivery businesses, became a great tool for delivery businesses to curb the last-mile challenges and make them more efficient and productive. The changes in delivery trends brought in by COVID-19 are still popular and are being followed. Trakop is efficient delivery management software with a last-mile delivery logistic solution that is helping many delivery businesses grow and meet current customer demands and trends. If you want to know more about Trakop and see how it works and is able to meet your expectations: Book a Demo