Many industries are now choosing to modernise by implementing numerous new technologies. The logistics and delivery industry may not be the first that comes to mind in terms of innovation however they keep evolving and changing over the years offering a better and more intelligent customer experience for example. But what are those innovations? And what can we expect to see in the years to follow?
Mobile apps
Nowadays, every company has a mobile app, it has become the norm and a must for every company. Fashion brands, banks, train or bus services, you can now use an app to get information, pay or contact customer service.
However, we now see more and more logistics companies creating apps for their customers; tracking a parcel, customer service or barcode scanning for example. But we also see a lot more being done to create a connected warehouse and making the life of employees or employers easier with the installation of inventory management for instance. Mobile apps have already been proven successful to companies such as Parcel2Go, with a £100m annual revenue this year due in particular to the launch of their brand new mobile app.
Robots
Amazon Robotics, formerly known as Kiva Systems, is the perfect example of how artificial intelligence and robotics can completely turn around and improve a warehouse system. Indeed, with the rise of next-day or even evening deliveries, the idea of utilising robots has become more and more realistic for companies with a large amount of orders to process. By doing so, logistic companies are saving money and offering a much better customer service, Amazon robots are, for example, capable of processing and dispatching an order in just 15 minutes versus 60 minutes for a human.
GPS tracking
Offering an accurate tracking system is one of the most important services to put in place to be a successful logistics business. As a customer, it has become essential to know exactly where your parcel is but it’s also beneficial as an employer to keep an eye on the driver’s hours, real-live traffic or geofencing for example.
We now see GPS tracking being implemented in our parcel or food delivery services, this has given much greater control over what happens to goods or a person once it leaves a certain point.
In the years to come, we expect to see much more from logistics and transportation services. Drones, autonomous cars or even the Amazon go model, there is still space to grow for our delivery services. With the rise of new technologies, we can also question the place of the workforce in tomorrow’s warehouse.
