E-commerce: delivery trends for 2020

New year, a fresh start. As we dive into 2020, it is possible to see businesses reinventing their process to answer customers’ demands aiming for their higher satisfaction.

E-commerce explosion is driving companies to adapt to the Age of Customer Expectation: customers want to understand their orders, products, pricing and shipping costs before they click to buy. They are more attentive and selective to what they expect from companies and the goal is delivering to them as promised.

Also, The Future of the Last-Mile Ecosystem report projects that the number of delivery vehicles on the road will increase by 36% by 2030 in inner cities. There has never been a time of greater change for the last mile than what we are going to see in this new decade.

So, what are the key challenges that we can expect for e-commerce delivery for this year?

Next-day Prime delivery: Amazon ranks as one of the favourites marketplaces for Canadians and the “Amazon effect” is transforming the delivery strategies for all players. The next-day delivery for Prime accounts is driving a sea change when it comes to shipping options. Customers want information upfront about price, source tracking capability and guaranteed arrival time. Before completing a purchase, 95% of Canadians believe it is important to see their full shipping prices and delivery options. This behaviour shows how they want to see and to control their choices.

Information and transparency: accessibility to information at any time gives autonomy to customers and businesses. An efficient tracking process that offers reliable data also relieve the anxiety to find details about the delivery deadline. This reality happens for B2B or B2C scenarios which require that companies expand its logistics network to be able to offer integrated systems allowing faster and accurate info.

Sustainability: green strategies are part of the business model’s innovation to establish a competitive advantage. It’s about being responsible and self-conscious on which services and products are offered in the market and how it reflects in the future of the environment. Last September, Amazon has placed an order for 100,000 electric delivery vans from Michigan-based startup Rivian that will hit the road in 2021. Not only will it increase Amazon’s availability for faster delivery but decrease the costs for the customer and adding sustainable value to the company at the same time.

We will see new challenges arising in the next years for B2B and B2C markets followed by an unparalleled rise of e-commerce demands. It is time to think if your business is prepared for what is already coming.

* Stats  2019 UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper survey