Only a month into the new year and those shipping trends we warned you to watch out for in 2018 are making progress. As e-commerce continues to condition consumers to expect instant delivery, retailers are actively looking for ways to fill the immediate-delivery gap. Cue Silicon Valley startups to save the day.
Nuro and udelv revolutionize transportation with autonomous deliveries
Nuro and udelv are in a race to win in the last-mile delivery market. On January 30, both companies announced go-to-market plans for driverless delivery vehicles. While other companies are focusing on robots to travel on sidewalks alongside pedestrians, these two companies are launching vehicles that will drive on the road with other automobile traffic. Nuro’s team consists of former robotics experts from Google’s self-driving car project. The team at udelv comes from former engineers at Tesla and Apple. Seasoned veterans are at the helm.
udelv completes successful public road test
udelv completed a successful delivery route from a market in San Mateo, California to two nearby customers. The 2.5-mile trip included traffic lights, lane changes, and two delivery stops. udelv’s goal is to dramatically decrease the cost and delivery window of local deliveries. All the consumer has to do is order from their favorite grocery store or retailer, receive a push notification when the order has arrived and tap the app to open compartment and remove the package.
Learn more: Why last-mile delivery is a big deal
A McKinsey survey reported, “Nearly 25 percent of consumers are willing to pay significant premiums for the privilege of same-day or instant delivery.” E-commerce is shaping the way consumers shop and the way they expect shipments to be delivered. Retailers, major carriers, and startups are creating unique solutions to solve the last-mile delivery challenge. Businesses that move fast need shipping solutions that can keep up. Pairing Share A Refund parcel auditing service with your existing operations can help shrink costs, capture critical data to understand supply chain and improve overall efficiency.
