Urban Logistics Opportunities—Last-Mile Innovation

The Logistics market is undergoing a major shift, with innovative solutions transforming the way goods and parcels are delivered. The industry is witnessing an influx of tech-savvy start-up firms that are introducing new, unique, value-added services, which are disrupting the overall supply chain ecosystem. The rise of start-up firms within the logistics industry for city deliveries parallels the growth of emerging technologies, such as Big Data, cloud computing, crowd sourcing platforms and connected devices which are transforming the way deliveries are expected to be transported in the immediate future. This change has forced service providers to deliver more customized solutions that address larger concerns within the industry. Recently, there has been greater emphasis on last-mile delivery. Research suggests that two-fifths of the overall logistics cost is being spent on the last mile. This has resulted in logistics and transportation firms looking at technology and new business models as means to address the growing issue of the last mile. With end consumers becoming more demanding, user experience and instant deliveries are taking greater precedence and are becoming critical factors. This means that same-day and last-mile deliveries will be key differentiators, as service providers will be obliged to provide more customized solutions to address such concerns.

The report ‘Urban Logistics Opportunities—Last-Mile Innovation’ highlights the various trends, drivers and the opportunities within eCommerce, omnichannel retail and the courier,express, and parcel market, and further identifies the new business models that are expected to disrupt last-mile delivery. Innovative new business models such as click and collect, locker boxes, on-demand deliveries, and micro distribution are providing flexible options to end consumers which will allow them to collect deliveries at their convenience. With technologies such as Big Data, cloud computing, connected devises and crowd-sourced platforms also set to play a major role in logistics, the report also looks at how technology use cases such as freight brokerage, and autonomous solutions are expected to further create efficiencies within the last mile of the logistics process. The future is all about drones and delivery bots and the report delves deep to understand the implications of these technology scenarios on Logistics. Lastly, the report also focuses on cleaner forms of deliveries and provides a regional perspective in terms of countries, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, which are considering ‘Ultra-Low Economic Zones’ to facilitate the objective of sustainable and green transportation by 2020. Read Less