What is the last mile?

The last mile is the final stage of delivering an online order and can make all the difference in the user experience of the product they purchased.

Purchases made over the Internet go through a transport process that passes through several stages. These stages range from preparing the order in the warehouse to delivering the package.

The last mile is one of the package delivery processes, known as capillary distribution. This package delivery and transport method manages a volume of products on the final leg, grouping together a series of orders that will then be distributed across a given area. The space is distributed into zones or distribution branches with the aim of improving logistics and ensuring that delivery is carried out in the shortest possible time.

Stages of shipping an order

The last mile is the final stage of order delivery, but it can only be carried out if the previous stages have been completed correctly. Among these, we can distinguish the following in chronological order: preparation of the order and departure from the warehouse, shipping (layovers or transport method may vary depending on the warehouse of origin and the recipient's delivery point), arrival at the transport company's facilities, last mile and order delivery.

All these stages are perfectly calculated to optimize expenses as much as possible and reduce delivery time. If one of these stages fails, all the others will also fail.

The importance of the last mile in the logistics sector

The last mile is the materialization of an entire prior process of transport and order management whose purpose is to facilitate the final process, reducing expenses as much as possible and shortening delivery time, the two aspects most affected in managing the delivery of an order.

In order management, order is the main weapon. In this sense, organizing a space in neighborhoods, distribution zones or branches, although important, may not be enough. It is also necessary to take into account another very important factor: travel time between one place and another within the same area. The last mile solves this problem by locating delivery points close to one another and establishing the shortest route with the lowest personal and transport costs.

The importance of the last mile is essential during periods with high volumes of orders and online purchases, such as Black Friday or Christmas. This distribution technique makes it possible to organize logistics providers efficiently and prioritize proximity between delivery points, the urgency of the order, or its fragility.

The transport conditions of an order are also very important for the last mile. It is important to bear in mind that some orders may be fragile, very heavy, or require a refrigeration system. The type of transport will have to be adapted to the type of product being transported, and never the other way around.

Lastly, in this delivery stage there are external factors that can compromise the arrival of the order within the time stipulated by the brand. These may include road closures, truckers' strikes, periods of high parcel transport volume, adverse weather conditions, and even customer comments regarding the delivery time and location.

InPost and the optimization of transport routes

InPost is a transport and mail and parcel delivery company specialized in non-home deliveries, that is, parcels are not sent to the home, but instead are deposited at a Ponto Pack, where they are collected by the customer. This makes it possible to optimize the final stage of the parcel as much as possible, known as the “last mile”.

The Ponto Pack are businesses that are close to the customer's home (stationery shops, bookstores, florists, etc.), where parcels can be sent and collected conveniently during opening hours.