Locus, a dispatch management software as a service (SaaS) firm, released a comprehensive research report titled ‘Decoding Asia’s Last-Mile Maturity’ on Friday, September 15, which delves deep into the last-mile logistics of countries such as India, Indonesia, and the UAE. The report also provides insights into the current state of this critical sector.
According to the report, a striking 79 percent of businesses across Asia are harnessing technology to enhance their last-mile efficiency. However, 84 percent lack confidence in their processes to stimulate growth and enhance customer experiences. These findings underscore the widespread adoption of technology in the industry; nevertheless, a significant majority of businesses are not fully leveraging its potential.
Mehul Kapadia, Chief Revenue Officer at Locus, emphasised the importance of understanding a business's last-mile maturity to address deep-seated challenges. To assist businesses across sectors in gauging their maturity and turbocharging their last-mile growth, Locus recently launched the last-mile maturity assessment.
The data from these responses reveals that only 40 percent of businesses in Asia have scratched the surface of tech-driven last-mile prowess, highlighting an untapped opportunity for success. Kapadia expressed a desire for the report to shed light on key trends and opportunities, inspiring businesses to optimise their logistics for greater revenues and superior customer experiences.
The report examines the performance of businesses across five key logistics metrics — last-mile excellence, customer experience, workforce empowerment, advanced analytics, and sustainability.
Here are some key findings:
India leads in advanced analytics: India stands out as a leader in advanced analytics, boasting a score of 3.59 out of 5. This underscores the growing reliance of businesses on big data analytics and cutting-edge technologies to optimise and transform their last-mile operations into revenue-generating machinery.
India excels in workforce empowerment: India excels in workforce empowerment in last-mile logistics, with a score of 3.42 out of 5. This indicates that businesses are investing in and leveraging robust tech solutions like advanced route planning and geocoding to enhance the lives of delivery drivers.
The UAE leads in last-mile excellence: The UAE takes the lead in last-mile excellence, with an impressive score of 3 out of 5. A significant 70 percent of UAE businesses embrace multiple last-mile technologies, reshaping customer expectations in the thriving e-commerce landscape in the region.
Customer experience leadership: In terms of customer experience scores, the UAE leads with an average of 3.73 out of 5, surpassing the industry average of 3.53. It is followed closely by India, Indonesia, and other countries.
Sustainability at the forefront: The UAE once again leads in sustainability, with a score of 4.16 out of 5, followed by India at 3.78. However, Indonesia falls below the global average at 2.55, indicating room for improvement.
