In a recent report published by Locus titled “Deciphering Asia’s Final Stretch Development,” an impressive 79% of businesses throughout Asia are leveraging technology to optimize their last-mile operations. However, a staggering 84% express a lack of confidence in their processes to foster growth and enhance customer experiences. These findings underscore the widespread adoption of technology in the industry, yet they also reveal that many businesses struggle to harness its potential fully.
“Solving deep-seated last-mile challenges requires a deep understanding of your business’s last-mile maturity. Therefore, to help businesses across sectors gauge their maturity and supercharge their last-mile growth, we recently launched the Last-Mile Maturity Assessment.”
Mehul Kapadia, Chief Revenue Officer, Locus
“Data from these responses has shown that today only 40% of businesses in Asia have scratched the surface of tech-driven last-mile prowess, showing that there is an untapped opportunity for businesses to achieve success. We want this report to reflect key trends and opportunities for businesses, so can they get inspired to optimize their logistics and achieve greater revenues and superior customer experiences,” says, Kapadia.
The report offers valuable insights into the current state of last-mile logistics in various Asian nations, including India, Indonesia, and the UAE. It also highlights both advancements and deficiencies within the ecosystem, emphasizing the critical role of technology in shaping business success.
It unveils the performance of the businesses across five key logistics metrics, including Last-Mile Excellence, Customer Experience, Workforce Empowerment, Advanced Analytics, and Sustainability.
Here are some key findings from the report:
• India has emerged as a leader in Advanced Analytics, scoring 3.59 out of 5. This indicates the increasing reliance of businesses on technologies like big data analytics to optimize their last-mile operations and turn them into revenue-generating assets.
• India also excels in Workforce Empowerment in last-mile logistics, scoring 3.42 out of 5. This suggests that businesses in India are investing in and leveraging advanced tech solutions such as advanced route planning and geocoding to improve the working conditions and efficiency of delivery drivers.
• The UAE leads in Last-mile Excellence with an impressive score of 3 out of 5. Notably, 70% of businesses in the UAE are embracing multiple last-mile technologies, which is reshaping customer expectations in the thriving e-commerce landscape of the region.
• In terms of Customer Experience, the UAE leads with an average score of 3.73 out of 5, surpassing the industry average of 3.53. India, Indonesia, and others follow closely behind.
• The UAE also takes the lead in Sustainability with a score of 4.16 out of 5, with India following at 3.78. However, Indonesia falls below the global average with a score of 2.55.
Additionally, the report provides crucial insights into various industries such as 3PL & CEP, e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, and more. One notable trend highlighted is that while sustainability is considered strategically important, it often lacks comprehensive implementation. For instance, carbon emissions tracking is overlooked in 3 out of 5 industries. Overall, the analysis reveals that 49% of global organizations lack confidence in tracking sustainability metrics to reduce emissions and fuel consumption.
