L ast-mile delivery is not what it used to be. Today, the allure of frequent delivery updates is so powerful some recipients check their package status up to 50 times in the past 10 minutes, compared to the previous average of 10 times during the day. Those home-delivery consumers are “power users” who crave the latest information, says Sebastian Poberschin, CEO of Bettermile. A two- day delivery estimate is not actionable information to them. But retailers that provide an increasingly accurate window as the truck nears the address not only delight customers but also vastly improve rst-time deliveries. Logistics provider Bettermile has tracked more than one million deliveries and sees that driver stop times on average decline when shipments are tracked because recipients are waiting at home if a signature is required or a furniture delivery is scheduled. “Day-of delivery information allows recipients to arrange their activities so they can be present at the right time,” Poberschin says. “Driver stop times fall because customers are home and ready for the delivery so drivers can move more shipments at lower costs.” The nal leg to the consumer represents about half the total cost of delivering an order. Technical advances, such as dynamic updates, can transform last-mile delivery services to meet customers’ desires and improve ef ciency.
July 2024 • Inbound Logistics 139
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