WORLD MAP
Urban myths THE FUTURE OF URBAN TRANSPORTATION IS HERE. THE WORLD’S TOP TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS PROVIDERS ARE INVESTING IN ALL-ELECTRIC ALTERNATIVES IN A BID TO COMBAT NOISE POLLUTION AND CARBON EMISSIONS. WHAT ELSE IN CHANGING IN THE LAST-MILE LANDSCAPE? As veracious consumers, we are a
December, an increase of almost 20 per
retailers and transport companies are
demanding, impatient lot. These attitudes
cent on the previous year.
improving processes.
drive e-commerce trends – just look at the
Such a tremendous spike in online sales
Retailers, for instance, with a relatively
numbers that capped off postal service
calls for more road transport to deliver the
small footprint are encouraged to
performance at the end of 2020. It is
goods. With more rigid-bodied vehicles
collaborate with delivery companies and
important to note that Covid-19 has widely
and trailer combinations taking to the
outsource accordingly.
influenced online shopping around the
streets of urban population centres, there
Similarly, reducing delivery costs is
world.
are concerns about public health (carbon
recommended by investing in optimised
Germany’s DHL Express braced for
emissions, noise pollution, congested
fulfilment locations, storage and collection
an all-time high in e-commerce trade
roads) as well as business efficiencies
points.
around the world with volume growth of
(vehicle uptime and maximising payloads
In the age of automation, retailers
around 35 per cent in 2020. As for the
per trip).
should embrace the perks of automated
peak season last year, the transport and
warehouse operations, click-and-collect
logistics provider projected an increase of
What is the industry doing to meet this
orders and autonomous delivery vehicles.
shipments of more than 50 per cent year-
rising demand?
When demand for delivery services peaks,
on-year.
A report by the Capgemini Research
retailers are encouraged to consider
Meanwhile, Australia Post delivered a
Institute on last mile delivery challenges
various fulfilment resources such as the gig
record-breaking 52 million parcels last
explores some of the ways in which
economy. The report also calls for consumer-centric fulfilment offerings which would empower customers to visit stores for returns, for example, to presumably minimise last mile delivery tasks. Meanwhile, American multinational retail corporation, Walmart, which is based in Bentonville, Arkansas, continues its power plays in the urban transport scene. 2019 saw Walmart US eCommerce compete with Amazon by refining its last mile commitments. While Walmart reportedly employed 5,000 in-store pickers who assemble digital orders, Wall Street Journal reported at the time that the process is slow and costly compared to specialised distribution centre fulfilment. Also, crowdsourced drivers who deliver most Walmart goods to homes often require incentives to take on heavy grocery jobs. There are also some delivery firms working with Walmart that are raising pay, while others are grouping
Walmart is engaged in an autonomous vehicle pilot for commercial deliveries in the US.
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Trailer Magazine MARCH 21
orders in advance to give drivers more reliable work.
