Final Mile Delivery
Picking a last mile delivery company
One of the most crucial aspects of any B2C company is selecting the right carriers for the job
Most Ecommerce retailers will never see their customers face which is why there should be huge emphasis on selecting the right final mile company.
What is final mile delivery?
The last mile or final mile is the last leg of your item's journey from you to your customer. It is also the biggest factor as to whether a customer will stay loyal or leave.
Why is picking the right carrier important?
It is very simple: the delivery companies you entrust to deliver your customers orders are probably going to be the only physical interaction between you and the customer so you want to ensure they have the best service possible from ordering to delivery.
Think Global?
When selecting a partner to do your final mile delivery, think Globally.
An Ecommerce platform is a 24/7 shop that never closes. Anyone anywhere can place an order from you.
Partner with a company that has global capabilities so if you do get overseas orders there is no delay in shipping.
Why should cost be avoided as the only option?
Companies hate spending money on shipping. It is quite often one of the largest costs to any B2C company and normally the first thing reviewed when trying to cut budgets.
However can you picture a time you have had a less than satisfactory delivery or an item damaged en route or reported as missing or thrown somewhere or you have sat in all day and you get a notification to say missed delivery it all leads to a poor customer experience and a poor experience will result in complaints which will ultimately result in additional costs for you.
Options Options Options!
We live in such a busy world where we want total control and visabilities over our deliveries.
When selecting a delivery company do they offer in flight delivery options such as
- Leave with neighbour (can you designate a house number)
- Leave in safe place
- Deliver on different day
- Deliver to store/locker
- Collect from local depot
- Refuse delivery (no longer need item)
- Delivery windows (2 hours - 4 hours)
- Live tracking of driving
What services should I offer?
A general rule of thumb: customers are likely to spend 10-15% of their order value on shipping.
Which means a simple 1 service offering isn’t as simple or as effective as it should be.
If you offer a next day service at £6.99 but a customer orders a £10 tshirt they are more than likely going to abandon the cart because of excessive delivery fees.
I always suggest offering 3 services as minimum which would cater for all customers for example 3 services would be
- Economy 3-5 days
- Standard 2-3 days
- Express 1-2 days
Useful Questions To Ask
- Is the carrier rate structure straightforward?
- What are the carrier surcharges and do they apply to me?
- What is the carrier's SLA?
- What happens if the SLA isn’t achieved?
- How do they bill shipments?
- Do they offer In flight options? (leave with neighbour - deliver to safe place - rearrange delivery)
- Does the carrier offer SMS and/or email notifications?
- What reports can I get to check services?
- Do they weigh and measure all shipments?
- Do they need an end of day manifest?
- Do they provide support for International paperwork?
- What are the carrier’s hours of operation? Does the carrier offer delivery on weekends and/or holidays?