Logistics related to eCommerce in the provinces of Milan, Lodi and Monza and Brianza seem to have found the solution to meet new consumer needs thanks to efficient and green last mile delivery services.
This is revealed by two research data: on the one hand, the study conducted by Netcomm “NetRetail 2023. The digital purchases of Italians” which reports a special in-depth study dedicated to the main trends of digital commerce in the areas of Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza; on the other hand, the report “Logistics for eCommerce in the Milan area” compiled by Assolombarda and the School of Management of the Milan Polytechnic with the aim of analyzing the dynamics of eCommerce B2C distribution logistics and quantifying the flows passing through the Milan Logistics Region (RLM) in order to identify the present and future challenges for operators in the sector.
But let’s go in order and find out what is the adopted model of the areas considered and why it may soon expand to the rest of Italy.
Logistics for eCommerce in the Milan area
According to Assolombarda – Politecnico di Milano data, in the city of Milan alone there are about 120 thousand daily deliveries related to B2C eCommerce, totaling about 550 tons/day. The number of express couriers destined for last-mile distribution is about 3 thousand per day, of which 59 percent are standard vans (vans), 33 percent are box trucks and 8 percent are micro-vans.
“Logistics operators – reads the report – are therefore faced with several challenges related to optimizing the distribution process in the face of ever-increasing volumes, fragmentation of orders, customer demand for ever-higher levels in service (e.g., reduced delivery times) and the dispersion of delivery points even outside city boundaries. In parallel, another major challenge is highlighted, one related to environmental sustainability in terms of reducing pollutant emissions and traffic.”
So what is the efficient, economical and green solution that in the areas of Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza finds consensus among consumers?
In addition to delivery solutions by alternative means such as cargo bikes, estimated at between 100 and 150 units throughout the city of Milan, alternative solutions to traditional Home Delivery are also becoming more widespread thanks to the collection of orders at Parcel Lockers and Pick-up Points, so-called pick-up points. As of today, in fact, it is estimated that in the city of Milan there are between 300 and 350 Parcel Lockers located in strategic points such as stations, gas stations and supermarkets, in addition to temperature-controlled ones intended for food pickup. A solution that, as Netcomm research shows, seems to be increasingly appreciated and requested by citizens.
In the last six months, 73 out of 100 online purchases were of physical goods that were subsequently delivered or picked up. In more than 8 out of 10 cases, the good was delivered to a home or workplace address, but in 21.5 percent of cases, the physical products purchased were picked up by the customer at a store or pickup point indicated by the Merchant. Recall that the national average stops for 2023 at 15.9 percent. This indicates “a peculiar behavior of consumers in this metropolitan area that reflects a particularly articulated evolution of the delivery solutions and services offer. The locker as a pickup solution is particularly used and appreciated in the Milan metropolitan area and almost 1 in 10 deliveries are made through this delivery system,” reports the research.
Why Out Of Home deliveries are the answer to consumer needs
Keyword: flexibility
eShoppers expect increasingly efficient and flexible services from eCommerce logistics, such as fast deliveries, the ability to choose between different delivery and pickup methods, and the offer of value-added services such as scheduling consenga on holidays, evenings, or by appointment. If the key word for interpreting and responding to the needs of online consumers is therefore flexibility, Locker and Pickup Points are the right answer to this new need, since they offer consumers all the freedom to be able to choose where and when to pick up an order without having to wait for delivery at home by the courier.
Keyword: saving
Also among the main reasons why an eShopper chooses to complete a purchase from a website or app, reduced delivery costs reach a rate of 30.7 percent. As data from the Milan Polytechnic’s B2c eCommerce Observatory shows, comparing Home Delivery and OOH in an urban context and in a more rural context, it turns out that thanks to Parcel Lockers it is possible to save in terms of euros per delivery up to 60 percent in the case of an urban context and up to 65 percent in the case of a more rural context.
The central role of logistics within the consumer journey
In other words, last-mile logistics is assuming an increasingly central role within the consumer journey of eShoppers, and what is happening in the provinces of Northern Italy is therefore not to be interpreted as an isolated case. In fact, it is a trend that is a symptom of what will happen in the near future also in the rest of the country. In fact, as Roberto Liscia mentioned during the presentation of NetRetail 2023, Out Of Home delivery services have grown in recent years along with consumer enthusiasm for these alternative forms to the now “too narrow” Home Delivery. The Out Of Home culture will increasingly take hold, and when the time comes, one must be ready.
That’s why GEL Proximity – the world’s first technology that places Last Mile Logistics at the center of the purchasing process by directly managing the relationship between checkout and the Proximity solution chosen to pick up or return a package – is what your eCommerce needs! In fact, thanks to GEL Proximity you can integrate more than 125,000 already active Pickup Points and Lockers throughout the country and internationally to your online store. Contact us to receive more information.
