Infographic: Meet customer expectations through last-mile logistics

This is an excerpt of the original article. It was written for the January-February 2023 edition of Supply Chain Management Review. The full article is available to current subscribers.

January-February 2023

It feels like a normal holiday season. ”That was the report I got from the VP of global distribution at one of the country’s best known retail brands on the Monday before Black Friday. He added that the last time he felt that way was November of 2019. One of the perks of this job is that I get to talk to a lot of supply chain executives. In my conversations over the last year, I’ve learned two things. Operations, which was perhaps hardest hit at the start of the pandemic, has learned to operate in this new environment. Sure, there are still hiccups caused by absenteeism and inventory shortages. But those are situational—give them supply and…

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Since the start of the pandemic, companies have struggled to keep up with shifts in customer behavior, especially around customer expectations. This is most acute during the last mile of a delivery, when the need to meet customer expectations can increase costs and reduce the efficiency of delivery. Organizations can investigate technology adoption and other options to improve the cost and reliability of last-mile deliveries.

Over the last three years, numerous shifts in customer behavior have made it hard for companies to keep up. Changes to customer expectations have particularly affected logistics, specifically the last mile of deliveries. Nearly all organizations have experienced changes in cost, profitability, and the ability to efficiently fulfill orders due to customer behavior changes.

Check out the related feature article from APQC

The infographic below presents key ways that customer behavior has changed, how that behavior has made an impact on last-mile deliveries, and ways that organizations can make last-mile deliveries more reliable and cost-effective.

Click here to view the full sized infographic.

About APQC
APQC helps organizations work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence. It is the world’s foremost authority in benchmarking, best practices, process and performance improvement, and knowledge management. APQC’s unique structure as a member-based nonprofit makes it a differentiator in the marketplace. APQC partners with more than 500 member organizations worldwide in all industries. With more than 40 years of experience, APQC remains the world’s leader in transforming organizations. Visit us at https://www.apqc.org/, and learn how you can make best practices your practices.

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