Last-Mile Delivery

30. Address the issue of “last-mile delivery.” Last-mile delivery directly influences customer expectations and satisfaction but also represents an enormous challenge and cost for marketers. Is it worth the expense and effort to deliver products fast? Why or why not? You may wish to consider the impact of last-mile delivery on the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Over the last 10 years, the direct delivery of online purchases has grown by well over 25% per year. It generates more than $100 billion in sales within the United States alone. Retailers have rushed to make use of what’s commonly known as multi-channel commerce. However, logisticians have had a difficult time coming the most efficient methods to deliver millions of parcels to consumers home. The significant increase in delivery costs along with a variety of business failures are result of inefficient deliveries within the “last mile” of the supply chain. Delivering to consumers’ daily demands is an ongoing tension on delivery services. The greater number of stop-offs in the last mile setting, less cargo volumes and the increased number of stops per route differentiate the last mile method from traditional routes for vehicles (Tiwapat and co. 2018). There is a variety in the last mile environment which includes the speed at which segments are traveled in time, the volume and worth of deliveries, shorter travel durations or deviations from the routes originally planned (Fleming and colleagues. 2013,). This paper will examine the implications of last-mile deliveries on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Cont…