Huge attention is paid to last mile delivery – and rightly so given the importance of the customer experience. But last-mile success depends upon middle mile efficiency. In this ebook, sponsored by Amazon Freight, we look at why the middle mile truly is at the heart of multichannel success.
It’s here, the internal operations areas where goods are shipping between factory or warehouse and retail stores or fulfilment centres and before final last mile delivery to the customer, where innovation, focus and effort can help cut delivery costs and improve efficiency. This then feeds through to further improvements within the final stage of the delivery journey.
Decisions driven by stock availability, margin, customer data, service promise and final mile capabilities will affect the profitability of each individual order, as well as the long term profitability based upon returning, satisfied customers. It’s a technology-heavy area that comprises a variety of systems, from ERP, WMS, CDP, carrier management and more, that help to ensure the business flows effectively and efficiently. Investment and careful management are vital here.
In this ebook, we look at the middle mile in more detail, examining three key questions:
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What the implications of the pandemic have been on the supply chain? As well as the impact of changing customer expectations
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What are the key middle mile challenges?
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Where do retailers need to go next? This paper examines the mindset, vision and operating principles retailers need to have in the middle mile to be able to deliver at their best in the last.
