Online delivery services have transformed the way you shop. Rather than leave your house to pick up essentials (and some non-essentials), you can find everything you need by opening your laptop browser or smartphone app and have whatever you desire delivered with a single click.
This has made life more convenient, especially with how prominent Same- or Next-Day Delivery has become. And courier services are not satisfied with stopping there. They believe it is always possible to improve the service and innovate by offering forward-thinking solutions that benefit the consumer.
Precise Predictions and Real-Time Courier Tracking
Currently, courier delivery predictions can be vague at best. Because of potential traffic issues or confusing directions, they cannot offer a precise delivery time. Instead, customers only receive a general idea, usually within an hour’s range.
In most cases, this is enough for some customers. However, it can also mean that they wait around for too long anticipating a delivery, which could interfere with their day.
A potential innovation for the future is more precise delivery predictions through location-based data. The system can highlight the current delivery and provide up-to-date information on when the driver will arrive at your property. You may have seen Amazon implement this over the past few years, and it should not be long before it becomes the norm.
Autonomous Delivery Vehicles
Electric vehicles have become a popular choice for many eco-minded individuals who want to ensure they get their foot in the door in innovation as early as possible. Some of these electric vehicles offer autonomous driving, so it may not be long before customers find this in their delivery experience.
While it may not be safe or suitable for long-haul deliveries, especially when shipping large (and potentially expensive) freight, you may see it more often in cities and suburbs.
With this approach, courier services will not need to wait for drivers to be available. Instead, they can send the vehicle out as soon as it is packed with the product. As autonomous packing also becomes more common, it could streamline the entire process.
Drone Shipping
Drone shipping has already been used by the likes of Amazon, UPS, and Domino’s, and although it hasn’t been adopted on a broader scale, there is the chance it becomes the norm in the future.
As drones do not need to sit in traffic or obey traffic lights, customers can enjoy a rapid and more efficient delivery. They would be ideal for same-day delivery requests, especially for smaller parcels that can be packed and shipped easily.
The range of drones could pose an issue, so this approach would only work for customers local to the sorting office for the moment. Still, as drone technology evolves and improves, the delivery potential increases.
Parcel Condition Information
As much as couriers try to do everything they can to keep packages in excellent condition during the journey, this is not always possible. As a customer, this can be frustrating, especially when receiving fragile or expensive goods.
Poor packaging can be a cause of this, but it also happens due to inadequately organised delivery vans, while some packages require specific care that is not met by the courier. To prevent this, developers are analysing how to provide the customer with information regarding the condition of the package. This information can include the temperature it was stored at or whether it was shaken, tilted, or placed under a heavy load.
By providing this information, there is a level of accountability that will improve courier methods and ensure all packages arrive at their destination in optimal condition.
Crowdsourced Deliveries
Rather than rely on the big courier companies, some businesses may opt to work with crowdsourcing delivery services. This would be found in cities rather than when searching for long-distance delivery, as it improves the chances of same-day delivery by cutting out the middleman.
The process would work in the gig economy, where businesses of all sizes seek out available drivers who could accept or reject the job. It could be beneficial in reducing courier costs to companies and provides short-term jobs for people looking to make some extra money on the side. As deliveries could be completed via bicycle, on foot or public transport, it also reduces carbon emissions.
The Future of Delivery
Couriers should always look at how to make their service more efficient, innovative, and eco-friendly. At Sub60 Couriers, we are just as excited about the future of delivery as our loyal customers and believe that these methods will transform the delivery process for the better and provide exceptional benefits for customers and companies alike.