Since the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery logistics trends have shifted dramatically. According to a data released by the US Department of Commerce, Americans spent $791.7 billion online last year, up 32.14 percent from 2019.
This was all owing to the pandemic and accompanying lock-downs, which forced shoppers to rely more on online local stores to meet their needs.
Here are the six delivery service trends we foresee in the coming months ahead.
Table of Contents
- Covid-Era Consumer Behaviour Will Be Here For A While Yet
- The Demand for Quicker Deliveries Will Rise
- There Will Be an Increase in the Need for Delivery Automation Systems
- The Need For Sustainable Delivery Logistics Will Rise
- The Delivery Industry Will Boost the Sharing Economy
- More Transparency Will Be Required by Customers
- Final Thoughts on Delivery Logistics Trends
Covid-Era Consumer Behaviour Will Be Here For A While Yet
Things began to return to normal after the first few months of 2021 as COVID figures progressively declined and the immunization rate climbed. It felt like the pandemic was coming to an end.
However, to everyone’s dismay a new COVID-19 variety (Delta) has emerged, which is more communicable than the other forms and therefore more lethal. The Delta strain of the coronavirus is thought to be responsible for 51.7%of new COVID cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This hints strongly that the pandemic will be here for a little longer, and consumer behaviour will remain unchanged from the past year.
The epidemic has already hastened the growth of the digital economy, which was already on the rise. These are long-term adjustments that affect the entire market. As a result, we may see higher delivery demands and persistent “here to stay” behaviour.
The Demand for Quicker Deliveries Will Rise
Consumers’ requests for speedier deliveries will increase as delivery numbers increase. Last year, 24% of US online buyers choose same-day delivery for purchases from pure online retailers, according to a study. Even as early as this year, the rate had risen to 36%.
Companies that fail to offer same-day or overnight shipment will simply lose clients to their competition.
As a result, one of the most important delivery logistics trends is for businesses to provide several delivery options in order to provide speedy deliveries and increase their revenue.
Also, firms are expected to take control of their eCommerce and fulfillment, as 82% of customers prefer to buy from a company that offers several delivery options.
There Will Be an Increase in the Need for Delivery Automation Systems
The value of delivery automation will inevitably rise as the need for deliveries rises. One of the delivery logistics trends we can anticipate is an increase in the adoption of solutions that will speed up and automate the delivery process.
For instance, both home delivery logistics companies and other logistics delivery businesses will begin to use logistics delivery management software like EasyRoutes to automate route planning and scheduling, as well as develop well-optimized delivery routes with directions to work for last-mile drivers. These optimized routes can be delivered in less time, with less errors. This is crucial since delivery demand will continue to rise.
Some intriguing breakthroughs in self-driving commercial vehicles, such as Tesla’s driverless trucks, may also be seen.
The Need For Sustainable Delivery Logistics Will Rise
Consumers are becoming more environmentally concerned, and they prefer to buy from companies that have a reputation for being sustainable and environmentally friendly. People are shifting away from unsustainable businesses, whether it’s due to a company’s carbon footprint or packaging.
According to a DS Smith study, 85% of consumers prefer to buy products packaged in environmentally friendly materials. Around 29% of consumers said they had stopped buying certain brands because their packaging was not environmentally friendly.
Many businesses have even begun to use carbon footprint labels to explain their environmental impact to customers.
Everywhere, a paradigm shift toward choosing environmentally responsible brands is taking place.
According to the European Consumer Organization, even EU consumers are eager to make sustainable choices.
Given the current state of the environment, sustainable delivery logistics will be around for a long time, and for good reason. The significance of sustainable logistics cannot be overstated.
So, whether you use delivery logistics software to calculate fuel-efficient routes or include electric vehicles in your delivery fleet, you need to incorporate sustainable delivery logistics into your strategy as soon as possible.
The Delivery Industry Will Boost the Sharing Economy
The worldwide sharing economy would be worth $335 billion by 2025, according to estimates. It has already wreaked havoc on asset-heavy industries like hospitality (AirBNB) and will now wreak havoc on the delivery logistics industry.
The timing is ideal for a strategic shift in the operating models of logistics delivery service providers, as demand for same-day or speedy deliveries is at an all-time high. According to a survey, 68% of respondents claimed that speedy shipping would encourage them to shop online.
Furthermore, there is a significant commercial driver shortage right now. Attracting and retaining talent is a huge challenge for the delivery and logistics industry. The credit goes to the unusual set of conditions that arose in the aftermath of the pandemic.
This driver scarcity isn’t going away anytime soon. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) reported that the industry was short 60,800 drivers late 2018. If the shortage is not addressed, it could reach over 160,000 drivers nationwide by 2028.
As a result, the sharing economy will experience unprecedented expansion as a delivery logistics trend to deal with the growing driver shortage and meet the need for speedier deliveries.
We’ve already seen how Uber and Doordash established driver networks to deliver packages to customers via their vehicles. We may expect this to expand to eCommerce and retail businesses as well. Store employees, for example, may deliver products to customers while driving home to supplement their income.
Companies would also pool their resources and fleets to become more efficient. For example, a restaurant fleet with extra time after lunch rush hour would be able to assist a retailer trying to fulfill increased demand throughout the holiday season.
More Transparency Will Be Required by Customers
Gone are the days when you could just tell your customers when their order would arrive. They now need to know exactly where their packages are at all times, particularly if they are time-sensitive. We expect that the need for transparency and clarity about the locations of their goods will continue to rise this year and in the coming years.
Delivery Logistics software like EasyRoutes by Roundtrip can help you become more transparent. It has customer-facing tracking numbers and links that let your customers see the status of their orders at all times. You even have fine-grain control over details like whether you want to show how many stops away they are, or how far away your delivery driver is. EasyRoutes also has a customer alerting that helps you notify your customers at various points long the delivery journey.
Final Thoughts on Delivery Logistics Trends
This is a golden period for all delivery and logistics service providers to leave an ever-lasting impression on their customers. The delivery industry is experiencing a surge during a time when most other companies are experiencing mounting losses.
As delivery logistics trends, we’ll see more companies offering quick last-mile delivery logistics services at a fraction of the cost with an Uber-like experience in the coming years. To do so, they need to make strategic investment decisions in their technology.
The current trends in delivery services are changing the way we all have traditionally looked at delivery logistics. We now see a data intelligence challenge that needs orchestration.
EasyRoutes route optimizer can leverage this data to optimize and automate on-demand delivery logistics and fulfillment for maximum operational and logistical efficiency. With this, you’ll see a boost in loyalty and conversion rates, gaining an advantage in the rest of 2021 and the coming years.
This is your time to become an inseparable part of your customers’ lives even after the pandemic by offering world-class delivery services with utmost speed and convenience.
