Here's your dose of curated tips, news, and know-how about last-mile delivery, route optimization, and e-commerce. 🚚

Hope you'll enjoy the read!

5 Black Friday e-Commerce Mistakes (& How to Avoid Them)

This year, Black Friday forecasts are greatly positive and we might witness a new revenue record (last year, the US alone scored $964.4 billion!).

But if you don't have a solid discount strategy, Black Friday might cause more harm than good for your business. Here are the most common pitfalls retailers often fall into:

• Underestimating website traffic and performance
• Neglecting mobile optimization
• Offering discounts that hurt profit margins
• Inadequate inventory management
• Not following up with post-sales marketing

The good news is you can avoid these mistakes with good planning, a solid strategy, and adequate inventory management. This blog post provides more information on how to achieve this.

How to Reduce Last Mile Delivery Costs

Last mile, the last stage of the delivery process, is not only time-consuming but also the costliest. According to industry reports, last-mile expenses account for approximately 53% of total delivery costs.

Understanding and cutting down these costs is essential for the financial success of your delivery operations. There are 5 key tactics to reduce costs:

1. Use micro-fulfillment centers. Why? Because they ease the distribution of packages as they are strategically placed closer to dense delivery clusters.
2. Use a delivery management platform. Why? Because it significantly reduces mileage, work hours, and idle time, alongside other benefits.
3. Keep customers in the loop about their package. Why? Because real-time updates help you avoid failed deliveries.
4. Diversify delivery options. Why? Because options like click-and-collect and locker delivery reduce delivery points and decreases the risk of failed deliveries.

We explained each tactic in this blog post. Check it out for more information.

In-House vs Third-Party Delivery: Pros and Cons

In-house and outsourced delivery have their own set of pros and cons. It’s crucial to evaluate your business needs, resources, and goals to make the right decision for your organization. Here are a few tips on how to make the most informed choice:

• Consider the volume, frequency, and type of your deliveries—how many deliveries do you make on a daily, and monthly basis? Are your deliveries on-demand, etc?
• Evaluate your equipment, staff resources, and systems—do you own suitable delivery vehicles, is your staff experienced with dispatching, loading, delivering, etc?
• Think about how much control you want over the delivery process—for example, do you deliver off-the-shelf products or products that require white-glove delivery? Do you want to build personal relationships with your customers or this aspect is not important?
• Compare the costs for the two options in detail—sometimes one option might seem cheaper at first sight, but in reality, it might not be.

With the right delivery process, you can enhance customer experience and drive success for your business. Here's a detailed comparison between in-house and outsourced deliveries that will help you understand which one is best for you.

2024 Insights on Consumers' Communication Preferences during Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Here are the results of Sinch’s 2024 BFCM Communications Survey studies consumers' communication preferences for the upcoming BFCM. The results highlight the preferred communication channels, consumers' attitude toward personalization, AI, marketing, and more.

Amazon Launches Same-Day Drone Delivery in Tolleson, Arizona

Customers in Tolleson, Arizona, can now get items delivered by air in under an hour. More than 50,000 items are available for drone delivery, including household products, beauty items and office supplies. There's weight limitation though—the package should weigh no more than five pounds. Also, there is a fee for the service. For more details, check out this article.

Monthly insight: Yep. Paralel universes exist:

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