Consumers’ expectations are changing, and delivery companies are moving to meet these needs. The days of simply getting a parcel delivered to home or work are being left behind in favour of options that better fit our fast-paced lifestyles and wildly different working hours. Consumers are happy with the increase in options, but how are couriers reacting? Will we even have couriers in the future?
Higher expectations
We all know the frustrations of having items delivered. Most of the time, they come when you are not at home, and there was no option to have it delivered at any other time of day or any other place apart from your home or work address. This frustration means that weekend deliveries are becoming incredibly popular. Fifty-nine per cent of the best retailers offer next-day delivery, while only 28 per cent offer Saturday delivery. With people needing more flexibility, delivery services are having to look into how they will meet those expectations. A same day courier in Birmingham is already ahead of the game but will still need to evolve further to meet new needs.
Employing more drivers and more warehouse workers will increase supply to meet the demand, with some drivers being willing or preferring to work hours outside of the norm for most courier companies. Many companies have also started to introduce preferred delivery times for people who are only home during the evening. There are also pick-up points, or local shops that hold the package until the person is ready to collect it.
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Automation
Robots taking the place of humans seems far-fetched, but it’s already happening in other sectors, so why not delivery services? They are already in use in the Silicon Valley. At the moment, the only robots being trialled for courier use run at 4 miles per hour and need a human handler. The fact that they are even being trialled quietly by Starship Technologies shows that automation may not be that far away. While same day couriers like http://allaboutfreight.co.uk/same-day-courier-service/same-day-courier-birmingham can offer amazing and flexible service, could the future be in robotics?
The world of couriers and delivery is changing rapidly, with flexibility quickly becoming the norm. One day you might open the door to a robot holding your parcel, and you won’t even blink an eye.