Logistics Innovations All Businesses Need to Know

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20 Sept. 2019. If your business makes money by selling physical products to customers, then it’s a good bet that logistics is a priority. In fact, making sure your product gets to the customer safe and promptly is crucial. Of course, that means you must stay ahead of the curve with what is happening in logistics. If you want to keep your commercial edge, that is? Luckily, you can find out all about the latest developments in the post below.

Next / same-day delivery 

Customer expectations are very different from what they once were. Well, actually their not because back in the 19th-century people used to order things from shops and then get them delivered the same day. Which is basically what is happening now for at least some of the prominent providers.

Of course, what I actually mean is that 20 years ago we would think nothing of waiting for a week or more for something that we order via telephone or post. However, to wait so long seems to most people interminable!

What this means is that you will always have a competitive edge if you can offer fast delivery. Next day is good, same day is even better where possible. You can even add the cost of this expedited delivery onto the product in many cases. The reason being that customers would still prefer to pay the extra and get their item sooner than wait.

Digital stock management 

If you aren’t already using a digital stock managing system to monitor and ship goods, then it’s high time you do. Of course, most businesses already have these in place.

However, the real innovation here is linking them up to your website, thereby showing your customers exactly how many you have left in stock. In fact, doing so can really help to encourage customers to buy and manage their expectations in terms of delivery as well. Something thing that can help you get good feedback on every sale.

Automatic driverless trucks 

There is so much talk about automated driverless cars at the moment which of course begs the question: ‘Are we about to see fully automated logistics fleets on the road?’ However, in this issue, it’s essential not to get too caught up in the hype.

After all, we are only just starting to fully electric cars becoming available. Therefore it is likely that the tech for fully automated truck is still a significant time away.

What does this mean for your business? Well, it means that investing and vehicles and cdl training should still be high on your list of priorities. If you want to be able to meet your deliveries and please your customers.

Automation with robots

Everyone has seen the little orange robots that Amazon is starting to use in their warehouses now. However, whether it is worth investing in them for your operation really depends on the costs involved.

After all, Amazon has a vast multinational logistics infrastructure, so it makes sense for them to invest in the tech. Something that it may not be sensible for smaller businesses to do until the price of each robotic unit comes down.

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