I was doing some research the other day and came across Deloitte’s 2023 Retail Industry Outlook* report. I couldn’t tell when it was actually produced but I started to think about how quickly outlooks and insights are changing for us in logistics and ecommerce. It used to be that you could download a predictions report in late Q4 or early Q1 and count on it to guide your strategy for at least a 4-6 month period. Today, that window of accuracy is more likely 4-6 weeks.
The report highlighted three industry trends and priorities – Supply Chain, Omnichannel and Digital. All three of these areas are front and center for retailers, but what caught my eye was the data around supply chain and last mile capabilities.
‘Seven in 10 leaders say they are very confident that they will be able to deliver a seamless experience to consumers across channels…’
The section went on to talk about micro fulfillment centers and inferring that last-mile delivery solutions should be profitable. But my brain started thinking about the seamless experience statement and how most business leaders believe that this is what exists today.
One of the reasons I love ecommerce so much is because just like all of us, I’m a consumer. We all have our own stories about brand experiences that were amazing, as well as those that left us frustrated and even seeking new places to shop.
That seamless experience they talk about is hard to come by. But retailers are well aware that looking at the end-to-end consumer journey is critical to making that kind of experience real. Getting a consumer to visit your site or enter your store is hard. Competition for feet on the ground and eyes on the phone is fierce. Your SEO has to align with your storefront, your buyers have to be twelve steps ahead on trends, and then there’s the issue that’s completely out of your control: your consumer has to be ready to engage.
While that front-end of the journey is hard enough, the back-end is just as important. As the last stop on the consumer journey, making shipping and delivery a great experience is what makes them come back again. Or leave a great review. Or do exactly the opposite.
We’ve done something truly unique here at Maergo. We’re helping online retailers get closer to that seamless experience by making delivery an integral and truly successful part of the entire brand experience. We do this by:
- Providing expedited 2-3 day US nationwide delivery at a ground-level price
- Presenting simplified pricing without surcharges and fuel, giving retailers the ability to accurately predict the true cost of shipping
- Utilizing spare cargo space on passenger aircraft to positively impact fuel burn & C02 emissions rates
- Streamlining the complexity of having to manage a myriad of providers through a single carrier relationship.
With Maergo, delivering that seamless experience is in reach. Just ask some of our friends at Buck Mason or Saks or Chubbies.
Peak is just around the corner and we all know hitting our numbers in Q4 is probably more important this year than it ever has been before. Carrier diversity helps ensure that parcels don’t get stuck and consumers don’t get frustrated. The time to mix it up is now.
Ready to hear more? Contact me at [email protected] and I’ll get you to the right people who can help.
* Deloitte: 2023 Retail Industry Outlook: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/retail-distribution-industry-outlook.html
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