2020 as we all know, has been one challenging year, especially for those in the last mile industry.
Delivery fleets worked double time when most of the world hunkered down in their homes to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. People immediately turned to their devices to order everything from daily essentials like groceries to luxuries like exercise equipment or home decor.
Now that customers have already tasted the tremendous convenience that the last mile offers, expect the supply chain to depend on it heavily. With that, here are three things delivery fleets should keep in mind as the industry heads to the post-pandemic market and why investing in Used Delivery Vans makes a lot of sense.
Delivery Demand Will Remain At Peak For A Long Time
At the end of 2020, the world wasn’t going to let holidays be postponed. As a result, last-mile companies faced the one-two punch of the regular holiday demand and the surge of online orders due to the ongoing pandemic. The industry wondered if this was just the beginning of a perpetual peak or just a trend that would soon fade with the COVID-19 disease.
We’re at the tail end of the pandemic now, as 47.5% of the world has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, and governments have eased restrictions. One would think that last-mile deliveries will return to normal. Instead, many expect online ordering to keep on growing, and with that, deliveries. The North American last-mile delivery market is expected to experience a year-over-year growth rate of 16% from 2021 to 2025. This is according to Technavio.
Companies Need To Focus On Operational Improvement
Now that the pandemic is almost over, fleets need to take a deeper look into how they can operate in this new normal, which is in stark contrast with pre-COVID times. As most fleets learned at the height of the pandemic, earning customer loyalty and building brand reputation was still important no matter the circumstances.
Willing to go the extra mile (no pun intended) for the customer is still the best way for delivery companies. It has worked in the past and will undoubtedly work today and tomorrow. As we transition to a new era, now would be the best time to reinvent and optimize operations to achieve maximum output.
Customers will always respond to how you treat them even in less ideal situations, and what could be a lesser ideal situation than the pandemic? Suppose there’s one good thing that the pandemic has brought to the last-mile delivery companies. It would be their opportunity to prove that they can overcome adversity to retain customers.
It’s All About Vehicle Availability
Because of the supply chain disruptions of 2020, the world is still reeling from the effects of a semiconductor shortage, even today. The cascading effect has reached the last mile industry, resulting in a shortage of fleet vehicles.
Knowing that there will be a fast-growing demand for deliveries, fleets need to consider scaling up for the long term to meet this demand. Now that new vehicles are more difficult to acquire, companies need to place orders quickly when these vehicles start to become available again.
Investing in Used Delivery Vans could be another effective solution to this fleet vehicle shortage. Stop renting transition vehicles for seasonal peaks. Partnering with a truck dealer Oklahoma city locals trust as an alternative source for your fleet is a more affordable and efficient solution.
Conclusion
Not every fleet will be at the same point of recovery and operations, so expect navigating the post-pandemic era to come with more unique challenges. However, challenges also come with opportunities for delivery fleets to learn and innovate their process.
The key is to stay proactive and flexible, so when the time comes, your fleet can profit from current market conditions and find new opportunities to succeed in the post-pandemic world. If you’re interested in purchasing used vans for your fleet, contact Truck N Trailer, a truck dealer Oklahoma City residents can rely on. Call Us at 405-912-5800.
