It doesn’t take a genius to note that eCommerce has boomed significantly in the past few years, it doesn’t come as a surprise either.

The global boom in e commerce that the world had increasingly been experiencing in the last 5 years was further exacerbated when COVID 19 hit. While Pakistan had initially been slow to catch up with the global pace, the convenience of shopping from the comfort of the home especially under strict lockdowns has created a new housebound economy, undeniably speeding up the growth curve of ECommerce and its related sectors – and it is likely that eCommerce will remain dominant for years to come.

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/379046/worldwide-retail-e-commerce-sales/

The cropping up of Last Mile Delivery Partners was but a natural progression of this development; Last mile delivery, also known as final mile delivery or final mile logistics, refers to the transportation of goods from a Brand’s warehouse or distribution center to their final destination — typically, the customer’s doorstep.

While this may sound simple enough, the trick however was that last mile distribution is affected by a number of variables, many of which are outside any service provider’s control — for example, the customer’s location relative to the warehouse or distribution center, the number of deliveries along a carrier’s route, traffic while in transit, customer availability, weather conditions and route security to name a few. There is also the element of time-sensitive goods, temperature controlled goods e.g. lifesaving medicines, and fragile items requiring extra careful handling at all stages of the delivery process.

“The final mile delivery when it comes to end consumer delivery is really supplying that end consumer with the experience they’re looking for,” – Louis DeJianne, UPS’ director of marketing for consumer goods, apparel and retail. “When that package is delivered, that package being delivered is still an extension of your brand.”

 

Hinged on this view, the changing Ecommerce landscape in Pakistan saw new players like Swyft Logistics entering the logistics sector with a wow to disrupt old practices. Bringing with them the digitization of the supply chain and new technology such as real time tracking, along with several customizations like flexible payment plans for vendors which allow both big and small players to compete in the new, largely online environment. This exceptionally customer-centric approach means a new level of customer responsiveness setting a new much higher precedent for old and new players.

These advancements in the logistics industry in Pakistan also serve to close the gap between the rural and urban markets with Last Mile Delivery Partners offering an ever expanding network of hubs to its vendors and thus vastly improved delivery ratios.

With a population exceeding 210 million, Pakistan, the 6th most populous country in the world, presents a huge market attracting international players like Alibaba. With their entry into the market, delivery ratios and logistics operations began seeing and will continue to see even more improvement and more significant international funding.

Pakistan’s logistics landscape offers a massive opportunity for global e-commerce giants like Amazon, Walmart, Tencent, and others, as a countrywide and potential regional e-commerce hub – offering a junction between the MENA, APAC and Central Asia regions.

Across the board we now see strides as startups innovate to improve customer experience in Trucking, Courier Services and even transport sectors. Established Companies are seen following suit, struggling to quickly adopt the vastly improved lead times and customer responsiveness that new players have brought in.

In order to make further strides and sustainable development possible, The Government and Logistics industry must work on enabling more entrants by further supporting and enhancing the digital and logistical infrastructures where ever possible through collaborations with stakeholders across the board.

It goes without saying that from here the sky is the limit and the customer will undoubtedly continue to win in this fight to revolutionize Logistics across the board.