The Challenge Of Black Friday And ‘Last Mile’ Deliveries

DESPITE the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis, it is estimated that UK consumers will spend £3.95 billion in Black Friday sales this year, ahead of the festive season, says Yvonne Palmer, Operations Director at Nexus Vehicle Rental (pictured left).

The result of this mass spending is an increased demand for commercial vehicles to help ensure high street stores are fully stocked with products, and to support the continued high demand for home deliveries.

As consumers increasingly turn to eCommerce for their shopping needs, they have come to expect speedy deliveries and therefore businesses have had to find ways to beat the challenges around same-day, final mile delivery.

This refers to the “last mile” of delivery – the point at which the package finally arrives at the buyer’s door – which is the most expensive and time-consuming part of the delivery process.

Technology is proven to make it much easier to deliver orders to customers on time and with as few issues as possible. Through rental, businesses can upscale their fleet for busy periods – planning ahead as much as possible to ensure they have the vehicles they need, when they need them the most.

As temperatures begin to drop, it is vital that businesses start to plan for potential contingencies.

This can include bad weather conditions or vehicle breakdowns that may happen unexpectedly. To avoid downtime, it is essential that SME fleet managers anticipate them in advance and have plans in place to prevent extended delays.

With customer demand increasing, the last-mile delivery market is growing, and fleet managers of commercial vehicle fleets must accurately manage collection, shipping, and last-mile delivery processes to ensure excellent customer service experience while maintaining the efficiency of their fleet, particularly as the festivities start to ramp up this week with many people starting their Christmas shopping in the sales over Black Friday weekend.