The way eCommerce giants have paved the way for ever-growing courier industries. They are constantly evolving to meet the customers’ growing demands and expectations and are the major players in the supply chain management system. Location is king for all eCommerce businesses because their ultimate goal is to deliver the specified product to the specified destination safely. Thus, the concept of online delivery came into existence.
Today’s courier industry has its fair share of challenges, as there is cutthroat competition in this field, and challenges like customers’ growing demands, logistics requirements, etc., must be tackled effectively. Since its inception in the 80s, there has been a lot of progress in the courier industry in India. What began as delivering handwritten messages has now revolutionized to become the delivery service for transporting items as light as a legal document to as heavy as a giant piece of furniture.
Instant deliveries offered by incredibly active app-based delivery services like Porter allow people to order the desired product and receive it within a few hours. This drastic transformation didn’t happen overnight, and the entire process of evolution encompasses many factors:
A relevant term known as “Last Mile” is used in the domain of the telecommunication industry as well as courier services, supply chain systems and transportation management. This term describes the difficulty of transporting packages from the central locations to their final destination. Since the courier industry saw a tectonic shift in operations from B2B to B2C, many challenges came from Last mile delivery’s perspective.
The growth of professional courier and delivery companies has escalated in recent years. It has increased customers’ expectations regarding reliability, speed, safety and on-time delivery of the required product. Advanced features like door-to-door pickup, online tracking, and customer service support 24*7 were unavailable. They are now readily available through the online delivery platform Porter.
So, to meet up to this level of expectation, the courier services are facing some of the following challenges.
- Shortage of workforce: With the E-Commerce giants like Amazon, Flipkart, etc., providing numerous delivery options and advanced delivery apps like Porter, which not only deliver goods but also provide logistic services, the traditional courier agencies have taken a back seat. As mentioned earlier, bulk hiring is done by companies, which provides very few options for courier companies.
- Rigid working hours: The schedule of operation followed by courier companies is time-bound as the delivery personnel have to report early to let the consignment reach the specified customer on time in the B2B model. In contrast, the current delivery services by different brands have empowered the personnel to hustle in the peak hours and make the most of it. They can leave the day with 9-10 working hours to earn the basic pay. So, their preferred choice is obvious.
- Seasonal surge: People shop online during the festive season, resulting in more delivery services. It is the best time for courier companies to tap the market, but with such increased load volume and despite the additional recruitment, they cannot manage a seamless last-mile delivery.
So, there is room for improvement in strategies and mechanisms in the functioning of these courier services and the courier industry if they want to stay on par with the latest trends and technologies.
