Amazon’s obsession with providing faster deliveries makes them the 800-pound gorilla in the eCommerce industry.
According to Statista, 45% of Americans used Amazon for eCommerce spending last year. That’s almost half of the U.S. population!
But, just like Rome, Amazon wasn’t built in a day.
Over the years, Amazon has made several technological and infrastructural investments to develop its channels and capabilities.
These technological investments were mostly made on advancing route optimization algorithms, IoT, hardware innovations, consumer-grade native apps, electric-powered delivery vans, drones, sidewalk robots, and so on.
And the result?
Today, Amazon is capable of offering one-day or same-day deliveries to 72% of the U.S. population, a figure reported by the RBC Capital Markets. This shows how strong Amazon’s last-mile delivery capabilities are.
Amazon has also launched new programs to attract shoppers and provide better performance and service right to the customers’ doorsteps.
For example, Amazon Prime customers can pick a day each week for delivery as per their preference. According to VentureBeat, there are currently about 150 million American Prime subscribers. That’s massive!
$AMZN Q4 2019:
– AWS up 34%
– Subscriptions up 32%
– ‘Other’ up 41%
– North American sales up 22%
– International sales up 14%
– 150 million paid Prime membershttps://t.co/STGI34drwX— Emil Protalinski (@EPro) January 30, 2020
Long story short, Amazon logistics is a phenomenon in itself that has set a standard.
Now, customers expect the same kind of fast service and convenience that Amazon provides from other companies too. This is where the problem comes in.
You may not be able to do what Amazon does. They have the latest technologies, deep pockets to invest in last-mile delivery innovations, massive manpower, and state-of-the-art infrastructure.
So, does that mean you’re on the verge of extinction in the age of Amazon?
Of course not!
You just need to be smart, make tiny changes to your operations, and adopt the right technologies to match up to the standard set by Amazon.
But, it’s easier said than done. So, let’s find out how you can improve your delivery time and efficiency, and your customer’s last-mile delivery experience.
Amazon Routes are Optimized. Are Yours?
To keep up with Amazon’s last-mile delivery standards, you will need an advanced route planner to ensure faster deliveries. Such software will help you plan accurate routes for your drivers while taking into account factors like weather updates, road conditions, traffic congestion, multiple stops, and specific delivery time windows.
But, that’s not all. Below are some more benefits of planning a route using a route optimizer.
Ensures Customer Satisfaction
Your customers won’t be happy if you delay deliveries or if you give them incorrect or vague delivery timelines. To protect your company’s reputation, your drivers must meet every delivery timeline which is only possible when your routes are well-optimized.
A route planner will ensure that all your parcels are delivered as per schedule. You will also be able to provide customers with an accurate estimated time of arrivals (ETAs). Customers will appreciate that.
The best route planners even come with a customer portal that helps your customers track the delivery status of their own orders to ensure customers don’t have to wait a long time for their parcels to arrive.
All your customers need to do is simply log in to the portal, using a tracking number or their account ID, and they will be able to see every detail.
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Saves Time
If you still use pen and paper to plan routes, you are making the last-mile delivery process so much harder. Route planning is very complicated and can take hours to do manually. And, after all your efforts, the routes will still not be as efficient as they could be.
Apple Maps or Google Maps cannot help either.
A last-mile delivery software can provide optimized routes in just 30 seconds.
Improves Fuel Efficiency
Since a delivery scheduling software helps you plan the fastest and shortest route, your drivers and vehicles can cover more distances without consuming a lot of fuel.
Increases Driver Productivity
A final mile delivery software ensures that your drivers follow the most efficient route in terms of both distances traveled and travel time. This means they can make more deliveries without getting exhausted.
Use GPS Tracker Apps and telematics devices
It is one thing to provide your drivers with optimized routes, but while other ensuring they are following them. This is where a GPS tracker and telematics can be helpful.
You Can Track Your Drivers
Your drivers might be taking breaks or running personal errands during business hours. With a commercial GPS tracker, you will always know where your drivers are in real-time. In this way, you will be able to make sure that your drivers make deliveries on time.
Improves Driver Safety
In addition to showing where your drivers are, GPS tracking software also shows if your drivers drive aggressively.
For example, you will know when any driver is speeding, accelerating too fast, braking too fast or taking ugly turns. If you see such aggressive driving, you can immediately alert your drivers to stop.
Moreover, you will also immediately know if any driver gets stuck in a deserted area because of a breakdown. You can then send immediate roadside assistance.
Reoptimize Routes Quickly
In spite of everything, there are variables at play. For example, a customer’s requirement may change at the last minute. And, since you want to keep up with the Amazon last-mile delivery standard, you have to deal with such changes.
With the best route planners, it is easy to re-optimize a route and send the new route to the particular driver’s smartphone through the route planner app. All this could be done in a couple of minutes of time. So, if even after you have given your drivers their routes, you can change it.
Reporting and Analytics
Route optimization software that comes with a GPS tracking feature collects a lot of information that you can use to improve your understanding of your business. You get detailed information about your routes, such as the distance covered, stops made (planned vs. visited), routes per day, average time on site vs. allocated service time, total fuel expenses, and average trip fuel expenses.
What Amazon does so well is to analyze such data to see how they can serve their customers better and faster. To keep up with the Amazon last-mile delivery standard, you must do the same to identify and evaluate your weaknesses and fix the issues immediately.
Long story short, route optimization software with GPS tracking is a must to keep up with Amazon’s last-mile delivery standards.
So, how will you improve your delivery times? Do you have any questions? Please feel free to leave your comments below.
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