4 Ways of Making e-Commerce Deliveries While Improving City Life
E-commerce and online shopping have grown significantly since the coronavirus pandemic, with choice and convenience pulling in more consumers. It is estimated that by 2027, e-commerce retail sales may have surpassed $8 trillion, representing an increase of about 39%. While this is a good thing, the increasing numbers of delivery vehicles in urban centers aren’t helping fight congestion.
A recent paper that examined the growth of delivery culture has found that rising greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion as well as health issues may be some of the possible hidden costs linked to deliveries within cities.
Given that increased congestion worsens emissions and traffic, with the resulting poor air quality also impacting individuals’ health, there is need to ensure that logistics and delivery operations are integrated into the urban ecosystem in a way that enhances the livability of cities. Experts believe that collaborations between the private and public sector will play an important role in reducing the impact of deliveries on urban livability.
They also discuss ways to improve the efficiency and sustainability of e-commerce deliveries, which include:
White label deliveries
Instead of different retailers each dispatching their riders to the same areas, they can use micro-hubs to combine deliveries to certain street networks or neighborhoods.
Through white label deliveries, one operator serves a specific area, with other delivery firms giving their shipments to this operator. This eliminates the need to have different couriers visit one place multiple times in a day.
Pick-up and drop-off networks
Growing and adopting the use of these networks decreases the number of incomplete door to door deliveries, where personnel are required to return undelivered -packages to the depot then try deliver them the following day.
This approach also eliminates the extra distance covered by couriers while addressing congestion and emissions.
Smart kerbsides
Kerb space is important for unloading and loading goods, cycling, and parking, among other things. Deploying tech to allocate use of kerb space at different times shall help manage these spaces more effectively while also reducing congestion and improving the flow of traffic as well as user experiences.
Electric vehicles
Using these vehicles helps decrease emissions by over 90%, with experts noting that autonomous vehicles also help free up busy roads, which may help address congestion. For autonomous vehicles to be adopted though, frameworks for their operation in cities will first need to be developed and implemented.
Overall, there is need for city governments to establish regulatory frameworks that protect livability while freeing up space for creative new delivery approaches.
As all industries are constantly evolving, it is likely that e-commerce players like NextPlat Corp. (NASDAQ: NXPL) (NASDAQ: NXPLW) could also be thinking about the future of the space and how what they do can contribute to preserving livability in cities while serving customers better.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to NextPlat Corp. (NASDAQ: NXPL, NXPLW) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NXPL
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
E-commerce and online shopping have grown significantly since the coronavirus pandemic, with choice and convenience pulling in more consumers. It is estimated that by 2027, e-commerce retail sales may have surpassed $8 trillion, representing an increase of about 39%. While this is a good thing, the increasing numbers of delivery vehicles in urban centers aren’t helping fight congestion.
A recent paper that examined the growth of delivery culture has found that rising greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion as well as health issues may be some of the possible hidden costs linked to deliveries within cities.
Given that increased congestion worsens emissions and traffic, with the resulting poor air quality also impacting individuals’ health, there is need to ensure that logistics and delivery operations are integrated into the urban ecosystem in a way that enhances the livability of cities. Experts believe that collaborations between the private and public sector will play an important role in reducing the impact of deliveries on urban livability.
They also discuss ways to improve the efficiency and sustainability of e-commerce deliveries, which include:
White label deliveries
Instead of different retailers each dispatching their riders to the same areas, they can use micro-hubs to combine deliveries to certain street networks or neighborhoods.
Through white label deliveries, one operator serves a specific area, with other delivery firms giving their shipments to this operator. This eliminates the need to have different couriers visit one place multiple times in a day.
Pick-up and drop-off networks
Growing and adopting the use of these networks decreases the number of incomplete door to door deliveries, where personnel are required to return undelivered -packages to the depot then try deliver them the following day.
This approach also eliminates the extra distance covered by couriers while addressing congestion and emissions.
Smart kerbsides
Kerb space is important for unloading and loading goods, cycling, and parking, among other things. Deploying tech to allocate use of kerb space at different times shall help manage these spaces more effectively while also reducing congestion and improving the flow of traffic as well as user experiences.
Electric vehicles
Using these vehicles helps decrease emissions by over 90%, with experts noting that autonomous vehicles also help free up busy roads, which may help address congestion. For autonomous vehicles to be adopted though, frameworks for their operation in cities will first need to be developed and implemented.
Overall, there is need for city governments to establish regulatory frameworks that protect livability while freeing up space for creative new delivery approaches.
As all industries are constantly evolving, it is likely that e-commerce players like NextPlat Corp. (NASDAQ: NXPL) (NASDAQ: NXPLW) could also be thinking about the future of the space and how what they do can contribute to preserving livability in cities while serving customers better.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to NextPlat Corp. (NASDAQ: NXPL, NXPLW) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NXPL
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
