It’s rare that business insights can be drawn from sporting events, but there was certainly something to be learned from the events that transpired at 1999 Open at Carnoustie. A French golfer, Jean Van de Velds, went on to shoot 71 holes of golf on behalf of his country and approached the final tee with what was considered an insurmountable lead. Unfortunately, this lead was overcome as a result of his last hole where he’d shoot a triple-bogey. This shot lead to a three-way playoff tie between Paul Lawrie, Justin Leonard and himself. Paul Lawrie would later go on to win his only major championship ever after overcoming Jean Van de Velds.
The lesson to be learned here is that winning a 72-hole golf tournament requires finishing strong. The business insight that can be drawn from this is that order fulfilment is a process only as strong as its weakest link. If companies manage to check every box but fail within the last mile of the product reaching its final destination, they’re failing their customers.
The order fulfillment process has seen some changes over the course of the years. Last Mile Delivery is the final phase of an order’s fulfillment process. In this stage, products move from their fulfillment centers and hubs around the world to the final point of sale, otherwise known as the customer. While it may seem easy enough, last mile delivery has become a mission critical step for businesses within the retail industry.
The importance of this stage has only recently begun to shine as a result of how involved customers are post-purchase. Now more than ever, customers are interested in being able to track their package from the moment it’s ordered. Prior to this stage being fully fleshed out, this wasn’t possible. Customers who purchased orders online would have very little detail regarding the shipping process or when their order would arrive. Unfortunately, with the way certain industry giants have evolved, nearly every retail industry contributor will be expected to provide sometimes unrealistic shipping and fulfillment expectations for their customers.
Keeping up with the ever-changing demands of their customers is the number one challenge for any business. It often takes some serious consideration to even remotely meet their expectations and it often comes from the help of sophisticated inventory management systems meant to reduce the number of backorders and delays in order fulfilment. When utilizing these systems with the right amount of warehousing space, the distance between the product and the customer can be significantly reduced therefore improving the last mile delivery stage. These systems also allow companies to offer different tiers of shipping for any customers’ preference in addition to offering the ability to track their orders, ensure quality care of their order and even schedule specific delivery times with local carriers when applicable.
Hoping to learn more about the ways your business can improve its Last Mile Delivery process for the sake of your customers? Continue reading on to the infographic featured alongside this post for more valuable information. Infographic courtesy of WAREHOWZ.
