How our Virtual Delivery Fleet Can Help Retailers Of Any Size
There’s no secret that the retail space is incredibly competitive. So what are major retailers focusing on right now to stay at the top of their industry? They are investing in their customer experience more than ever.
Companies are starting to realize customers are more often influenced by their supply chain experience over any other types of interaction. More specifically, last mile logistics is seeing major shifts and redefining what “standard delivery” means by bringing speed and transparency to every delivery experience.
But reinventing delivery isn’t possible for most retailers. So what’s the solution? Enter crowdsource delivery and the virtual fleet model. It’s inexpensive to set up, offers custom delivery options, and boosts consumer convenience.
Virtual Fleets Work, And There’s Proof
If you’re still on the fence about virtual fleet models for retailers, let’s look at an industry that has heavily adopted it in the past few years: grocery stores.
It was already a growing trend for grocery chains to test out delivery, but the last year sped up the growth in grocery delivery tremendously. Almost every major grocery brand has developed in-house grocery delivery, or have outsourced it to a delivery partner like Instacart and Shipt. Same day grocery delivery is becoming a standard service because consumers demanded it and were willing to pay a reasonable amount for the added convenience.
Get In On The Ground Floor Of New Delivery
The virtual fleet mode works for grocers, ecommerce retailers, and is beginning to impact large item delivery as well because of its ability to quickly add flexible capacity. While only 9% of retailers are using crowdsourced delivery right now, that number is expected to grow rapidly as 25% of retailers plan to start using crowdsourced delivery in the next 12 months.¹ Here’s a few reasons why:
1. Faster Than Fast
Dispatching, managing and keeping delivery vehicles available for delivery is a giant task and leaves most delivery schedules stiff and lacking flexibility. So how is a virtual fleet different? What does it do that current delivery options can’t?
A virtual fleet, with the right operations set up, can not only execute same day deliveries, but provide a short and precise delivery window. Having this flex capacity offers unmatched speed and reliability to make your deliveries not only fast, but faster than customers expect.
2. Control Your Delivery Budget
The cost of building your own delivery fleet or choosing the right delivery partner can’t be understated. Traditional last mile delivery is the most expensive part of any supply chain, accounting for almost half of the total delivery cost. The advantage of a virtual fleet is there is no upfront capital expenditures or ongoing maintenance costs on your books, and it’s less expensive than a traditional Less Than Truckload (LTL) carriers. This is because scheduling is more efficient, smaller vehicles (i.e. vehicles that aren’t tractor trailers, like pickup trucks or cargo vans) are less costly to operate and limit wasted space, and drivers are independently contracted through the delivery partner’s platform. All of these improvements on traditional delivery add up to savings and a better partnership experience.
3. Your Customers Want Same Day Delivery
Consumer’s expectations for delivery, speed and reliability continue to increase, and a virtual fleet model is ready to match those expectations. Industry leading crowdsourced delivery platforms, like BE LUX, provide major retailers and small businesses alike important features such as delivery tracking and visibility, delivery trend data, and customer support that gives their consumers a personal and brand boosting delivery experience.