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Delivering a seamless cross-border final mile experience is a complicated process. From the moment of sale, eCommerce businesses need to ensure their warehousing operations, shipping and delivery carriers all work together to ensure a smooth delivery. Any disruption could result in additional cost and operational headaches for the business, but also a bad customer experience that has a direct impact on sales. When doing this across borders, that includes additional complexity of international law and trade regulations. This requires expertise in those areas, and many global freight forwarders and 3rd Party Logistics companies have been mastering the art of worldwide shipping over many years. However, when a parcel gets to its destination country, it requires a different level of expertise, in the local carriers, cultural differences and individual needs of the customers. This is where partnering with a final mile delivery company can ensure 3PL’s can take a customer-centric approach, utilising their expertise to put the final, all-important flourish on flawless delivery service.
Mastering The Final Mile and Delighting Your Customers
Customer expectations of the delivery experience are high. They want control over when and where their parcel will arrive, ensuring it’s at the most convenient time and cost for them. This means giving them options including next day, a specific time or day selection, and click and collect in a range of price options. Providing these options at checkout may mean the difference between a final sale or an abandoned, with 45% of customers saying they will abandon a purchase if there is a lack of convenient delivery options*. To do this, 3PL’s need to work with multiple carriers in each country to access different services. This requires the expertise of carriers and consumer behaviours on a local level. But here is where a final mile partner can plug this gap in expertise, so that freight businesses can focus on what they do best.
Reaching into Unknown Markets Through Final Mile Partnership
A final mile partnership can also be vital for 3PL’s to grow globally. As supply chain experts, a last-mile partner can organise transportation and logistics while navigating international law and trade regulations. However, on a local level, there are cultural differences that can affect deliveries. Whether it be language barriers, a lack of existing relationships with the carriers, or not understanding the needs of customers from country to country, 3PL’s may not feel able to move into selling into these countries and need a partner that has a presence in these countries. That’s where a global carrier management company can help, with the necessary experience and expertise. Therefore, they are best placed to negotiate the best rates and understand the different services on offer. Partnering with the experts in this area helps businesses grow by reaching countries previously deemed unattainable.
How GFS Help 3PL’s Grow Through Their Global Carrier Expertise
As a final mile expert, GFS help 3PL’s navigate this part of the delivery process. When one logistics expert had a requirement to offer its services in Germany, GFS managed the implementation and operation set up with the carriers they needed. Through their unique technology platform and infrastructure, they helped them succeed in this new country. Now, they have been able to move to offer additional services into the UK, France, Spain and Ireland, using the UK as a distribution hub, through the support of GFS.
GFS also gave the 3PL business access to their network of local carriers with 1000+ different services, so that they can offer their customers a wide choice of delivery options. It also means the business can protect the customer experience by switching between carriers if necessary, to avoid delays or capacity issues. GFS takes care of every individual parcel, which means GFS Customer Care and Operations monitor and tracks each consignment, resolving issues directly with the carrier should they occur.
By tapping into GFS’ in-country knowledge, parcel services, integrated technology and operational infrastructure, the eCommerce 3PL provider is able to fulfil demand better, ship more parcels, win new business and continue to grow in leading global eCommerce markets.