根据全球的物流公司 DHL 和市场研究公司 Euromonitor 的研究，日益城市化正在使一英里的交付变得更加复杂，并且对电子商务公司的成功至关重要。到 2030 年，预计将有超过 6 亿人生活在城市环境中，新技术为服务增强和中断创造了机会，在线零售商及其物流合作伙伴正面临着采用大胆新方法以求生存和竞争的挑战。在白皮书《缩短一英里：赢得城市消费者的物流战略》中，DHL 和 Euromonitor 确定了塑造城市一英里运输的四个主要趋势——本地化交付、灵活的交付网络、

　　DHL 商务官 Katja Busch 表示：“一英里正日益成为电子商务供应链中的关键战场，公司必须在这一领域制定有针对性的战略才能有效竞争。” “这不仅仅是关于运输，而是关于公司管理库存的整体方法——在正确的时间将正确的物品送到正确的地方。DHL 正在开发有针对性的解决方案，以帮助电子商务公司快速有效地接触他们的*终客户，从使用机器学习到更好地在城市内安排运输路线，再到为我们的交付网络增加更多的自动化。”

　　白皮书发现，主要的城市趋势都在成本、服务影响和组织压力方面带来了各种挑战。例如，由于越来越受欢迎的假期和促销日（例如亚洲光棍节或全国网络日）导致季节性物流的增长，这给物流公司带来了巨大的压力，需要建立额外的能力和雇用资源来应对短期量激增，这反过来又很难预测。城市客户对速度和便利性的需求迫使零售商彻底改造其仓储网络，用本地履行和基础设施取代集中网络，这可能需要更准确的库存平衡。不断发展的技术正在为新的性挑战者进入市场创造机会，同时还要求现有企业谨慎投资并将新技能纳入其劳动力。为了克服这些挑战，DHL 和 Euromonitor 共同确定了 FAD（灵活运输网络、自动化和数据）模型作为一个框架，将帮助零售商和物流运营商确保他们在一英里的竞争力。通过提高自动化、数据管理和网络灵活性方面的绩效，所有市场的电子商务公司都将能够更好地管理库存并提高一英里交付网络的效率。自动化和数据）模型作为一个框架，将帮助零售商和物流运营商确保他们在一英里的竞争力。通过提高自动化、数据管理和网络灵活性方面的绩效，所有市场的电子商务公司都将能够更好地管理库存并提高一英里交付网络的效率。自动化和数据）模型作为一个框架，将帮助零售商和物流运营商确保他们在一英里的竞争力。通过提高自动化、数据管理和网络灵活性方面的绩效，所有市场的电子商务公司都将能够更好地管理库存并提高一英里交付网络的效率。

　　DHL eCommerce Americas 执行官 Lee Spratt 表示：“这个快速发展、竞争激烈的电子商务市场的未来演变仍然难以预测，因此公司需要在确保满足客户需求的同时保持敏捷和高效。” “一英里需要相当的关注，因为无论市场如何发展，它都将继续成为客户体验的主要接触点之一。那些能够建立有效的合作伙伴关系以提高其城市交付网络的弹性、投资于*有效的技术以提高生产力、利用数据来建立更好的客户体验以及*重要的是尽可能有效地管理其库存的公司将出现未来充满活力的电子商务市场中的赢家。”

　　Increasing urbanization is making the last mile of delivery more complex and critical for the success of e-commerce companies, according to new research by DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, and market research company Euromonitor. With over 600 million more people forecast to live in urban environments by 2030 and new technologies creating opportunities for both service enhancement and disruption, online retailers and their logistics partners are being challenged to embrace bold new approaches in order to survive and compete. In the white paper, Shortening the Last Mile: Winning Logistics Strategies in the Race to the Urban Consumer, DHL and Euromonitor have identified the four main trends that are shaping urban last mile transportation – localized delivery, flexi-delivery networks, seasonal logistics and evolving technologies – and ways in which companies can adapt their supply chains to the changing market environment and achieve competitive advantage.

　　Shortening the Last Mile Info

　　Click here to enlarge Infographic

　　“The last mile is increasingly becoming the key battleground in the e-commerce supply chain, and companies will have to develop targeted strategies in this area to compete effectively,” said Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer, DHL. “It’s not just about transportation, but about companies’ overall approach to managing inventory – getting the right items to the right place at the right time. DHL is developing focused solutions to help e-commerce companies reach their end customers quickly and efficiently, from using machine learning to better route shipments within cities to adding more automation to our delivery networks.”

　　The white paper found that the major urban trends all create various challenges in terms of cost, service impact and organizational strain. For example, the growth of seasonal logistics as a result of increasingly popular holidays and promotional days such as Asia’s Singles’ Day or national Cyber Days, places significant pressure on logistics companies to build up additional capacity and hire resources to cope with short-term volume surges, which can in turn be difficult to predict. Urban customers’ demands for speed and convenience are forcing retailers to overhaul their warehousing networks, replacing centralized networks with local fulfilment and distribution infrastructure, which can require more accurate balancing of inventory. Evolving technologies are creating opportunities for new disruptive challengers to enter the market, while also requiring incumbents to invest prudently and incorporate new skills into their workforce. To overcome these challenges, DHL and Euromonitor have jointly identified the F.A.D. (Flexible transport networks, Automation and Data) model as a framework that will help retailers and logistics operators to ensure their competitiveness over the last mile. By improving their performance in increasing automation, managing data and building flexibility into their networks, e-commerce companies in all markets will be able to better manage inventory and increase the efficiency of their last-mile delivery networks.

　　FAD Triangle

　　“The future evolution of this fast-moving, highly competitive e-commerce market is still incredibly difficult to predict, so companies need to remain nimble and efficient while ensuring they are meeting customer demands,” said Lee Spratt, CEO, DHL eCommerce Americas. “The last mile requires considerable attention because, however the market evolves, it will continue to be one of the main touchpoints in the customer experience. Those companies that can build effective partnerships to make their urban delivery networks more elastic, invest in the most effective technologies to boost productivity, take advantage of data to build better customer experiences and, most importantly, manage their inventory as efficiently as possible will emerge as winners in the dynamic e-commerce marketplace of tomorrow.”