Love Lost in Transit? – Delivery Planning Hacks to Save Singles’ Day Online Shopping Demand 

Singles’ Day is all about pampering oneself with gifts that resonate with the heart’s desires. A brand new laptop, a high-end makeup palette, a shiny new watch, and whatnot.

But imagine the disappointment when that eagerly anticipated package arrives late or fails to live up to the excitement. The customers might not only be disappointed but can altogether switch brands!

With a daily average of 389 million parcels being handled by different logistics companies, it is neither surprising nor uncommon for the parcels to go lost, damaged, or delayed.

That’s where the magic of logistics comes into play—saving Singles’ Day with some ingenious delivery planning hacks that will not only help retailers mend this heartbreak but will also ensure there is no love lost during the transit.

#1 – Real-Time Route Optimization to Avoid in-Transit Delays

Real-time route optimization can be a major game changer during major shopping events like Singles’ Day, as it enables businesses to adapt to delivery disruptions on the fly.

Seasonal order spikes directly translate into increased traffic, surge in market vehicle requirements, and increased delivery outsourcing. All of these can delay the delivery timelines all the while ballooning the operational costs.

Advanced delivery and logistics management platforms come with in-built optimizers that factor in real-time disruptions, such as traffic, roadblocks, weather constraints, civic/area regulations, and more to re-route shipments without affecting efficiency.

These solutions can significantly cut down mileage, overcome idling, and improve adherence to ETA SLAs. Managers can get real-time alerts and notifications for driver deviations from the system-suggested path.

These solutions also come with in-built delivery workflows that are efficient, automated, and highly configurable. This enables store/hub managers to exercise greater control over delivery operations and overcome challenges such as parcel loss, fake delivery attempts, idling, etc.

#2 – Onboarding Multiple Carrier Partners for Increased Serviceability

Collaborating with multiple carrier partners amplifies the serviceability of retailers in many ways. They can offer deliveries in new geographies, move beyond the standard 3-4 day delivery windows, and can form strategic partnerships based on different delivery requirements.

Having multiple carrier partners also empowers them to tackle situations such as filed or delayed pickups, without affecting the delivery timelines. 

However, working with multiple carrier partners can easily become cumbersome when the management is done manually. Switching multiple software interfaces, collaborating with each partner individually, and siloed planning can increase hassles at a time when operations are already evolving rapidly. 

This is where an advanced carrier management platform can work its magic and alleviate all the above-mentioned pain points effortlessly.

Automated and easy carrier onboarding, digital invoicing, intelligent carrier ranking, and automatic order mapping – retailers can simply put their order allocations and asset tracking on auto-pilot and invest their time in important business decisions. 

The ability to work asynchronously across multiple carriers, tracking and assessing their performance as per business-specific requirements, and making decisions with a clear view of financials, performance, service offerings, and more – such platforms can definitely ensure that self-love exceeding 1.16 billion packages on a single day gets delivered intact!

#3 – Digitization to Eliminate  End-Point/Handover Fails

End-points and hand-overs are the nests of inefficiencies and operational loopholes, leading to in-transit delays, poor customer experience, delivery frauds, and whatnot! The inability to digitize small processes and events, such as middle mile journeys, proof of delivery (PoD), non-delivery reasons, and robust customer feedback, can degrade delivery planning and execution. 

Investing in smart logistics and delivery planning solutions can easily overcome such challenges by offering intelligent workflows for every such event, milestone, and process.

They come with specific actions that a driver/delivery executive has to take to ensure flawless delivery execution.

The customers can upload real-time delivery proofs, they can make payments via multiple modes, drivers can easily take payouts against collected cash, middle mile service providers can automate loading/unloading sequences, and more. 

Such advanced capabilities allow retailers to plan, execute, track, and manage deliveries at scale, which becomes crucial for events such as Singles’ Day where the logistics rush can start months before. For instance, DB Schenker reported processing 2 million online orders within a 24-hour period 2 months before Singles’ Day. 

While advanced delivery planning and logistics automation solutions can definitely help retailers cut down delivery disruptions and deliver on their promises, they can also help them save costs and make sustainable deliveries.

So, as Singles’ Day approaches, let’s raise a toast to the deliveries that save the day and preserve the romance, without chugging away at the retailers’ profits. Here’s to a Singles’ Day filled with perfect deliveries, where the only surprises are the ones you ordered!