The recent publication of a new report into congestion in London has some interesting recommendations – including banning personal deliveries to offices in the capital. It’s one of a number of proposals that also include better sharing of click and collect destinations as well as additional consolidation centres in the capital.
But is it right to ban personal deliveries to offices? We know that customers appreciate and want alternative destinations so retailers have to be able to fulfil on that promise.
And yet it’s something that TfL is already said to be considering and that some companies in Canary Wharf are already doing so it could yet become a wider reality.
The idea of retailers better sharing click and collect locations, especially in hubs such as train station is also key and as such it’s interesting to note the huge rise in demand for click and collect services from third party provider CollectPlus, which has reported a 25% rise in volumes for the period of October through to December.
One thing that customers do increasingly want is same day delivery. Though its proportions may still be small it is on the increase, according to new figures. Over in the US meanwhile same day delivery service Deliv has launched a new one hour print-on-demand with The UPS Store that is bringing new levels of expectation in arrival of product and we will likely see similar new initiatives in the UK too.
Whilst in London the suggestions are to ban central office deliveries for consumers in an opinion piece from ParcelHero this week, based on another report just out, it’s suggested that for high streets at least their role as an alternative delivery location could be their saving grace. The piece argues that whilst the role of the high street will change repurposing them in part for more efficient local delivery and pick-up could ensure they do still play a vital community role in the future.
Anticipating what the future will bring is always tough seeing as things can turn on a dime. New innovations are coming through all the time. In the world of parcel tracking and monitoring a new IOT-based device that allows everything from the temperature of a parcel to whether or not it has been opened to be monitored could bring a revolution for more sensitive packages.
The internet of things is set to play a more important role in the final mile journey than ever and offers huge potential in a part of the delivery process that has always proved challenging. And it’s this challenge that will be addressed at this year’s eDelivery Expo. The first day of the two-day show held at Birmingham’s NEC on April 5, will begin with a conference day dedicated to the final mile challenges. The conference is previewed on the site this week so do take a look at what’s coming up and if you haven’t booked your place yet then make sure you click on the link in the story to do so.
