Why retailers need to make the last mile more efficient
Put simply – the customer journey is a collection of actions and touchpoints experienced by an individual when trying to make a purchase. For online retailers, their success will depend on how well this journey is crafted and how the customer’s experience stacks up against their expectations. That’s why it’s incredibly important for retailers to truly understand the changing demands of their customers in an increasingly digitised and tech-driven environment.
Not paying attention to the complete customer journey
But here’s the problem. Despite all their efforts, too many retailers aren’t paying enough attention to the complete customer journey. Retailers understand they need to be ‘discovered’ online – whether that be through glowing reviews, advertising, or quality blog content. They also understand the need for state-of-the art online interfaces to make browsing and purchasing easier and more enjoyable compared to their competitors – but then they drop the ball.
We’re talking about the “last mile”. Last mile deliveries simply refer to everything that happens to get the product in the hands of the customer immediately after they hit “confirm payment”. From here, retailers are either charging premium rates for express deliveries with traditional courier companies or more modest rates for a sluggish delivery service with no guarantee around timeframes. Not to mention the many other dramas associated with a lack of transparency over delivery progress and damage to goods!
The last mile should be cheap, fast and great quality
The truth is, customers today expect much better. They need their deliveries to be cheap and fast – accompanied by an exceptional quality of service. Essentially, the gap is rapidly closing between bricks-and-mortar retail and online shopping. And just like digital technology has revolutionised every other part of the customer journey – it can revolutionise the delivery experience too.
Retailers can take full advantage of Go People’s tech-driven courier solution to tick the last box on the customer journey map. Here’s how:
- Cheapest, fastest delivery runners
Using the Go People website, retailers can post jobs for delivery (individually or in bulk), which will be immediately allocated to the fastest and cheapest delivery ‘runner’.
- Same-day and under 3 hour deliveries
Expensive express deliveries will be a thing of the past. With our immediate point-to-point service, we can guarantee same-day deliveries and even deliveries under 3 hours for a small additional cost.
- Hire your own runner
Retailers can even hire a delivery runner for a specified time to take care of all their delivery needs.
- Full transparency over the delivery process
Whatever method you choose, through Go People, you will have full transparency over the delivery process with GPS mapping technology and direct contact with our runners. That means you can confidently pass on those exceptional service promises to customers without passing on huge costs.
So, our message is this: don’t drop the ball and forget about the last mile as part of any customer experience strategy seeking drive those sales!