Challenges in Last-Mile Delivery

<Unbundling the last mile in QCom / Food deliveries in gated communities - an idea> Seeing a bunch of delivery men from Swiggy, Blinkit etc., lined up outside my apartment complex gate last weekend with the security guy onboarding them struggling, and arguments breaking out, made me wonder how big a problem the last mile is in quick commerce and delivery in general, esp in large gated communities like mine (800+ apts). There are a lot of apartment complexes / gated communities like mine. A MyGate study in '21 estimated that in the top 50 cities in India there were 16m HHs across 130k gated communities (32% of overall Top 50 Cities households but accounting for 43% of overall consumption in Top 50 Cities). Of course, since then, these numbers would only have grown as more and more affluent Indians move into these gated communities. Back to the last mile problem in gated communities. There is efficiency in picking & getting to the complex; but that last mile of getting inside the complex, then navigating inside to reach the house is messy. Add to that there is waiting for the lift; sometimes these guys have to wait for a service lift and so on. It made me wonder if the likes of Blinkit, Zepto etc are thinking of solutions where they unbundle the delivery, separating out the last mile. Just like they have a specialist picker to navigate within the dark store, they could have the equivalent of that for the last mile in a delivery person inside the apartment complex. In large complexes, they could try out an experiment where they keep 1–2 people (in partnership with the apartment society) inside to do the delivery. The rider comes, hands it off to this counterpart inside, and this inside person does the last-mile internal delivery. Of course there will be some idleness for this person and there could be times where even 2 people inside are not enough; but it solves a few problems - reduces the number of riders entering the complex who all need to be cleared by security - solves for riders being unfamiliar with the internal layout of the complex - reduces random people movement inside the complex One thought is to have, for example, a buggy that collects all these deliveries from and just goes around delivering. This could be an interesting revenue idea for a NoBroker / MyGate. Given they are well-entrenched with the apartment complex sociey management, they could propose an arragement where they keep a few delivery folks inside who aggregate these orders and deliver, and charge Blinkit / Zepto for delivery. These apps could send the relevant order data to MyGate or NoBroker; and the MyGate / NoBroker person inside could collect and deliver internally. I am sure enough folks within the QCom / food delivery companies would have thought about something like this, or tried a few experiments. If so, would love to know what they learnt / think?

Honda is getting into the delivery game—but the real story isn't what they're building, it's why they're building it. The old joke in the industry is that Honda only builds cars because they need a spot for their engines. They are a hardcore engineering operation. If you ever get a chance to make it to Marysville, OH where Honda's US factory is located, you're in for a few surprises. The facility is awesome and you can virtually smell gasoline everywhere. So Honda isn't just building an electric quadricycle called the eQuad—they're offering it as a Fleet-as-a-Service model through their new Fastport business unit. We've heard this Fleet-as-a-Service model from robotics companies and autonomous truck developers. The math is compelling: when I analyzed Tesla's lease versus sales profit last year, I found that they make their entire sales profit in just seven days on a lease model. Clearly, this news did not escape Honda. Here's what makes the eQuad compelling for urban delivery: 🚴♂️ Built for the city: ·      Can use bike lanes—a game-changer for urban logistics ·      23-mile range with swappable batteries (zero charging downtime) ·      Designed specifically for last-mile delivery from the ground up 🔧 Fastport's Fleet-as-a-Service innovation: ·      AI-powered fleet management and optimization ·      Full lifecycle support: software updates, maintenance, battery replacements ·      Honda isn't just selling vehicles; they're selling uptime and efficiency ⚡ The timing is telling too: ·      Late 2025 deliveries, 2026 mass production ·      Urban delivery demand exploding ·      Cities cracking down on emissions ·      Honda positioning right at the inflection point 🚀 It shows that legacy manufacturers still have the ability to truly innovate—not just in electric powertrains, but in reimagining entire business models. Sometimes the best disruption comes from those who understand engineering fundamentals. #supplychain #logistics #innovation #electricvehicles #lastmile

How can we apply a practical, urban-realistic way to apply #logistics #postponement in a highly congested, on-demand last-mile network like #Mumbai? In congested cities, postponement is about delaying final movement, routing, and configuration until the last responsible moment. The approach is keep #inventory close but not committed. The centralised approach fails in a mega-city like Mumbai: One DC → citywide delivery. Traffic uncertainty explodes lead time variability. The Postponement-enabled urban model is about Central DC (bulk stock) → Urban Consolidation Centers (UCCs) at city periphery → #MicroFulfilment Centers (MFCs) inside #demandclusters → Final delivery only after order confirmation. The best example can be found in Bulk FMCG or pharma moved at night from Bhiwandi to Andheri / Kurla / Navi Mumbai hubs, but SKU allocation to pin codes happens only after order arrival. The method intensifies with Postponement of #routing & carrier selection, not just dispatch. In Mumbai, route certainty is an illusion. Freeze inventory location early, but postpone route, vehicle, and rider assignment until real-time traffic, rain alerts, local event disruptions (VIP movement, rallies), time of day-traffic signals become themed. The Zomato / Blinkit style logic: Order placed → dynamic rider + route selection → micro-batching of nearby drops. This is logistics postponement via #algorithms, not #warehouses. The next would be to postpone order #consolidation at hyperlocal level. Instead of: one order → one trip, use temporal postponement windows (15–30 minutes), cluster orders by building, society, or lane. The best examples can be found in Residential towers in Powai / Lower Parel: Orders collected till 7:15 pm: single trip → multi-drop → elevator-based batching. This cuts vehicle-km, not just delivery time. But Product postponement can hardly be ignored, where the approach is move generic SKUs, finalize late. This works surprisingly well even in cities, the best examples are: Pharma: strip-level inventory, finalize packs at MFC or Food & QSR: base prep centralized, final assembly near consumption. This reduces wrong-SKU trips or emergency re-routes across the city. But use of time-based postponement, not distance-based is rising. Mumbai logistics works better by time slices than geography. Here the smart play is: Heavy replenishment → night / early morning; On-demand delivery → daytime micro-movements and returns & reverse logistics → off-peak windows. You postpone when you move, not where. But enable postponement with the right control layer. Must-have enablers would be #ControlTower with: Live traffic + weather feeds, Rider density heatmaps, SLA risk alerts by pin code. Also must have Order promising engine that: Adjusts delivery windows dynamically and avoids false speed promises during congestion. In Mumbai, promise accuracy beats speed. But rigid #SLAs kill postponement, better orchestrate customer-enabled postponement. Read my article.

📌 This is what the future of postal delivery looks like! 🚚⚡ ✉️ United States Postal Service begins rolling out new Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs) built by Oshkosh Defense right here in Athens, GA! 🌍 Athens is just the starting point, with thousands of these innovative vehicles planned for deployment across the country in the coming years. 🎥 In a recent video produced by the The Associated Press, Patrick E., Executive Manager, Fleet Strategy & Support at USPS, talked about the phased rollout, with just under 100 vehicles being deployed this year, scaling up to thousands next year, and eventually reaching an impressive 20,000 units annually 🚀 These vehicles are replacing a fleet that has served since the 1980s—some of which are over 37 years old! 🛠️ The design of these NGDVs focuses not only on safety but also on practicality. They are engineered to support carriers in every possible way, from maneuverability to improved comfort. They’re designed to thoughtfully improve the experience of USPS workers, as well as reducing air pollution and making EVs more commonplace across the country. 🚐✨ Electric vehicles like these bring a host of benefits to last-mile delivery and commercial operations: 🌿 Lower Emissions ⇒ By replacing aging combustion engine vehicles, these new EVs will significantly reduce carbon emissions. USPS's move towards electrification is a critical step in contributing to cleaner urban air quality and aligning with global sustainability goals. ⚡ Cost Efficiency ⇒ EVs are also known for their lower operating and maintenance costs. With fewer moving parts, they require less maintenance. This is especially important for large-scale logistics operations like USPS. 🔋 Reduced Noise Pollution ⇒ You won't hear that USPS truck coming through your neighborhood anymore. This makes early-morning and late-night deliveries much less disruptive, contributing to a better quality of life for the communities USPS serves. 💡 Improved Urban Mobility: Last-mile delivery is often characterized by frequent stops, heavy traffic, and narrow streets—environments where EVs shine due to their quick acceleration and regenerative braking. This move is a part of USPS's broader $40 billion modernization plan to upgrade operations and electrify 75% of its fleet by 2028. By the end of this initiative, USPS aims to have more than 66,000 EVs in service, including a mix of Oshkosh's NGDVs and Ford E-Transit BEVs! 🌿🔋 I also recently shared an update on another unique vehicle that USPS is using, albeit on a smaller scale. 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/eGA66D8t #electricvehicles #commercialvehicles #lastmiledelivery #batteryelectrictrucks All publicly available information. Sources in the comments below 👇🏻 GAMUT Timuçin Kip

🛒 The future of the last mile is autonomous. FairPrice’s introduction of autonomous vehicles on Singapore’s public roads shows how AI-driven mobility is reshaping fulfillment and last-mile logistics. From IDC’s “AI/ML, Generative AI, and the Rise of Autonomous Supply Chains”, we see a clear trajectory: logistics networks are evolving toward agentic, data-driven orchestration, where decision support, exception management, and fulfillment automation merge seamlessly. Implications for last-mile operations: 🚦 Greater consistency and precision in delivery windows 🔄 Dynamic routing and real-time decisioning powered by AI agents 🌱 Potential sustainability gains via reduced congestion and idle time This isn’t just innovation. It’s the early stage of autonomous supply chain maturity, as reflected in IDC’s research. 🔗 See the FairPrice article: https://lnkd.in/gUdq4qNx 🔗 IDC research here: https://lnkd.in/gpb4nX8C #IDC #AI #GenAI #AutonomousSupplyChain #LastMile #SmartMobility #Retail #Logistics #DigitalTwin #Innovation

Robots Get the Munchies. Bots ride the subway to restock 7-Eleven. In Shenzhen, China, the future of urban logistics just rolled into the subway—and quietly boarded the train. China has deployed 41 autonomous delivery bots to restock 7-Eleven stores located within the city’s metro system. These three—foot-tall robots with glowing LED “faces” use AI-driven scheduling algorithms and LiDAR navigation to autonomously ride trains, traverse platforms, operate elevators, and bridge platform gaps—all during off-peak hours. Vx Logistics LLC, a Vanke subsidiary, manages the operation, with the fleet serving over 100 7-Eleven stores located within the city’s vast subway network. The robots operate during non‑peak hours, replacing human couriers who otherwise need to park on the street and unload stock. This isn’t sci-fi. It’s the real-time execution of a strategic response to: • Traffic congestion and curbside chaos • Rising labor and delivery costs • The environmental footprint of last-mile logistics And it’s not just about sandwiches and soda. Shenzhen’s broader “Embodied Intelligent Robot Action Plan” positions these #robots as a blueprint for future deliveries—medical supplies, parcels, even sanitation tools—through underground infrastructure. Why this matters: If convenience stores can be restocked underground via autonomous fleets, imagine what this means for airports, hospitals, stadiums, or campuses. It’s a signal that last-inches delivery—once an afterthought—could become a competitive edge in both speed and sustainability. Somewhere between tech novelty and operational breakthrough lies the next frontier of retail logistics. AI and technology are disrupting and reinventing logistics. Don’t fall behind; mind the gap. #Innovation #RetailTech #UrbanLogistics #AI #Robotics #LastMileDelivery #SupplyChain #Strategy

🔥From Policy to Pavement: Singapore’s Push for Autonomous AI Delivery🔥 When the Prime Minister spoke at this year’s National Day Rally about a more fragmented world and the need for Singapore to shape its own future, one message stood out: Innovation and Technology will define our next chapter. Against this backdrop, Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报 featured comments from Alan Ng （黄耀亭), CEO of QUIKBOT TECHNOLOGIES, Singapore’s homegrown pioneer in autonomous last-mile delivery. His words carry weight: “人工智能已不是未来，它将深刻影响企业的运营模式和人们的生活方式。我国若能率先在产业与社会全面运用人工智能，将在未来全球格局中保持领先，以求生存、谋发展。” “AI is no longer the future—it is already reshaping how businesses operate and how people live. If Singapore can lead in deploying AI across industry and society, we will remain competitive in a turbulent world.” 💎 Why this matters: 📍 Government alignment: The newly formed Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce (SERT) is not just cushioning today’s shocks but also building tomorrow’s competitiveness through AI and automation. 📍 QUIKBOT TECHNOLOGIES’ role: Positioned as the world’s first autonomous final-mile delivery platform, QuikBot integrates Agentic AI with robotic fleets, offering Singapore a blueprint for scaling smart logistics in dense urban environments. 📍 Bigger picture: Autonomous mobility is no longer about driverless cars alone, it’s about ecosystems. From ports and airports to bubble-tea deliveries, Singapore is weaving AI into the daily fabric of urban life. 💎 As Alan Ng （黄耀亭) highlighted, resilience isn’t just surviving shocks; it’s transforming in the midst of them. And in a future where every country is racing to harness AI, Singapore cannot afford to “坐以待毙”— sit and wait. Just do it : from policy speeches to pavements buzzing with autonomous bots. 💎 Aspire. Inspire. Achieve.

Most companies still treat logistics as a back-office function. A cost center. A line item to squeeze. That mindset? It’s outdated. The good news is that we’re seeing a shift in 2025: Logistics is becoming a growth lever. Forward-thinking brands aren’t just moving goods more efficiently—they’re using logistics to move the revenue needle. Here’s how leading brands are making that happen 👇 👉 Volatile demand? Logistics should flex—not break. - SKU counts are exploding, channels are multiplying, and customers want products yesterday. - Legacy logistics networks can’t keep up. Static models = missed sales, bloated costs. - Instead, we’re seeing brands build adaptive ecosystems—ones that respond to real-time demand signals, shift inventory placement, and enable dynamic routing. Flexibility isn’t a luxury. It’s survival. 👉 Digitization ≠ Just Cost Savings. It’s a CX play. - AI, automation, predictive analytics—yes, they streamline ops. But they also open new doors for revenue. - From predicting order surges to personalizing delivery experiences, tech is turning logistics into a competitive differentiator. - The smartest brands are turning fulfillment into a CX advantage—and seeing it pay off in retention and LTV. 👉 Org design matters more than you think. - When logistics is buried in ops, it stays reactive. - When it’s tied to strategy, IT, customer experience? It drives growth. - This requires breaking silos, aligning cross-functional teams, and making logistics part of strategic planning—not just post-sales execution. 👉 Profitability lives in the promise. - Customers don’t just buy the product. They buy speed, convenience, reliability. - Fail to deliver on that promise—and you don’t just lose a sale, you lose trust. - Winning brands are designing logistics around margin-aware promises—localized inventory, smart delivery windows, real-time updates. The result? Higher conversion, better margins, and loyal customers. 📝 Want to dive deeper into these strategies? 📖 We unpack all of this (and more) in our latest blog: https://hubs.la/Q03dsxFX0 #SupplyChain #LogisticsStrategy #RevenueGrowth #eCommerceLogistics #SupplyChainLeadership #RetailInnovation #FulfillmentIQ #DigitalTransformation

Amazon delivered 6.3 billion parcels in the US last year. Just 600 million shy of the postal service. Yes, the same USPS that has existed since 1775. Now imagine you're UPS. You’ve already cut 30k jobs and told shareholders you're slashing Amazon volume by half. Because you have no choice. Amazon isn’t just building a carrier. It’s absorbing the entire last mile. And it’s doing it with a smile, a Prime badge and $4 billion in rural delivery build-outs. There’s a word for this. It starts with “m” and rhymes with “lopoly.” Let’s break it down. 🛰️ 8.4 billion US deliveries projected by Amazon in 2028 🏢 80 new logistics hubs under review 🦴 USPS may lose $6 billion in Amazon volume if contract talks collapse 📦 FedEx went from breakup to rebound, quietly signing a new deal 🏃♂️ Same-day Prime in 4,000 rural ZIPs by end of 2025 Pause on that last one. They’re not chasing cities anymore. They’re chasing geography. And rural sellers? They’ll love it. Because it kills their biggest pain point. The kicker? Amazon’s not doing this just to ship its own boxes faster. It’s setting up to become your shipping partner too. “Supply Chain by Amazon” and “Buy with Prime” aren't just nice-to-haves. They’re Trojan horses. Operators should be asking: 🎯 Should merchant logistics be outsourced to a rival? 💡 Where’s the margin when fulfilment is Amazon’s playground? 📉 What happens to CAC if Amazon owns the front and back end? 🛠️ Are there defensible shipping options left? Because if not, the game isn't just about selection or price anymore. It’s about who owns the route to your door. #ecommerce #logistics #marketplaces #amazon #dtc