With 2023 quickly approaching, major companies like Kroger and Walmart are moving final mile to the top of their priority list. Executives, Directors, and Managers are assessing their final mile needs and the important role logistics plays in supporting the bottom line.  All across the business landscape, leaders agree that now is the time to bolster their final mile strategy. In an effort to combat economic uncertainty and supply chain issues, satisfy their customers’ evolving needs, and to continue to gain market share from competitors, businesses are actively looking for ways to implement flexible, cost-effective final mile solutions.

Those lacking final mile internal expertise or infrastructure may fear that they are at a severe disadvantage.  But that’s where they don’t need to worry, businesses don’t have to go it alone. With support from an experienced final mile provider like USPack, creating an intentional, strategic final mile delivery plan is seamless. Here, we explore three key reasons why final mile delivery should be your top business priority going into the new year, and what you can do.

Deliver on customer expectations, win loyal customers

The final mile is among the most important, customer-facing components of your business. It’s how customers form an impression of your brand and a key part of their decision to return to you in the future. In fact, in a 2022 consumer survey from Anyline, 76% of customers reported that an unacceptable delivery experience would strongly or somewhat affect their decision to order from that company again.

Beyond expectations of timeliness and accuracy, customers also crave transparency. Providing real-time access into the status of packages and deliveries is not a “want” but a “must-have” in 2023.

The benefit of real-time data is twofold: customers gain transparency into their package’s journey, and you control the customer experience. At USPack, we work closely with our clients to design Adaptive Delivery Solutions that align with your company’s specific business goals. By leveraging data that understands your customers’ unique needs, we enable you to establish mutual trust and build a more personal relationship—one that results in repeat business.

Mitigate the effects of future supply chain issues early on

After the impact of COVID-19 on the global supply chain and current rising inflation rates, it’s no surprise that supply chain issues are still top of mind across the logistics industry. It’s important that businesses are prepared with a plan to operate more efficiently to lower costs as it becomes more expensive for businesses to operate at every level of the supply chain.

Trying to create a local delivery and inventory replenishment program using a truckload model that’s designed for thousands of miles instead of less than a couple of hundred is expensive and taxing for drivers. In some cases, it’s not even possible amid driver shortages. That’s where an enhanced final mile program comes in: to localize inventory and optimize distribution.

How? When you partner with a provider like USPack who has access to a national network to execute your inventory localization strategy in distribution centers, you only have to manage one contract and contact. The payoff for you is a simple, organized partnership—and an enhanced customer experience. When a customer wants a particular item, you can source and deliver it from the closest location where it’s available, providing the most expeditious solution.

Scale your business and create opportunities for future growth

For industry-leading retailer Walmart, delivery is up nearly 40% year-over-year. According to their SVP of end-to-end delivery, Jennifer McKeehan, the company’s top priority is strengthening their final mile program and expanding their reach.

With a robust final mile program, scalability is a built-in benefit. A national final mile provider like USPack is not only accustomed to operating at scale—we excel at it by leveraging our coast-to-coast network. Instead of you expending considerable time and resources to source and train a new fleet of drivers—which could be put to better use elsewhere in your company—we have an on-demand pipeline of vetted drivers ready to deliver.

When working with one, trustworthy partner, scaling your brand doesn’t mean sacrificing on quality or consistency. Service on all deliveries aligns with your brand values.

Ready to partner with a final mile provider?

As a national final mile logistics provider distinguished by highly collaborative and seasoned teams, USPack offers a breadth of data, analytics, service, and quality to meet your and your customers’ delivery expectations.

Beyond the expertise and technology USPack brings to the table, our team acts as a trustworthy advisor who has guided countless businesses through the plethora of final mile hurdles and knows the most cost-effective solutions. We work with you to integrate with systems you already use, keep what works, and expand on what needs more support. The best part? Our services scale with you.

Contact USPack to learn why, for more than 30 years, companies from enterprise to local consider us the best in final mile logistics.

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