Shippers are learning an important lesson in today’s delivery and fulfillment landscape: success in the last mile begins with effective middle mile logistics. It’s commonly known that last mile delivery is where shippers can create positive customer impressions, but the middle mile has become increasingly important to transparency, communication, and on-time deliveries — all important components to creating a great delivery experience.
As middle mile logistics take center stage, shippers are searching for the right technologies to maximize their middle mile programs. This article explores how technology is transforming middle mile logistics and how shippers can use technology to optimize the middle mile for growth.
Looking for a middle mile logistics partner that uses advanced technology to effectively bridge the gap to the last mile? Get in touch with us at FRAYT to learn more about our tech stack and services.
The 5 Ways Tech is Transforming the Middle Mile
Technology is taking over in the competitive supply chain and logistics space — especially middle mile logistics. Shippers, logistics service providers, and others have discovered that it’s impossible to operate efficiently, drive customer satisfaction, and gain a competitive advantage without the right tech stack. Specific to the middle mile, here’s a look at five ways modern technology can be transformative.
1. Controlling Costs
Meeting today’s delivery expectations is expensive. The last mile is the most costly portion of a product’s journey, but the middle mile isn’t far behind. Companies like Amazon and Walmart spend a fortune on the middle and last miles to ensure they’re living up to the customer expectations they helped create. But what about smaller businesses? Technology is the answer.
Tech can help smaller shippers find savings across the middle mile through optimized routes and capacity. Technology can also be used to reduce waiting and idling time, which, if left unchecked, can accrue and put a severe dent in a shipper’s bottom line.
2. Ensuring Timely Deliveries
Timely delivery is the name of the game in creating outstanding customer experiences. If a shipment gets delayed in the middle mile, it becomes harder to meet delivery expectations in the last mile.
Technology is key to providing visibility that keeps customers informed in the middle mile, and it can also be used internally to monitor a shipment’s progress and take action to keep it on track. Tech can also alert customers to delivery windows — or allow them to choose the delivery window that’s most convenient to them.
3. Proactively Responding to Disruptions
Disruptions have become commonplace in 2024, and there’s no sign of them abating in the near future. Technology empowers shippers to avoid or proactively respond to disruptions by choosing alternative modes of transportation, and it also allows them to keep customers informed when disruptions do occur.
Avoiding disruptions altogether provides shippers a two-fold benefit. First, they save the expense of the extra time and effort required to navigate through a disruption. Second, they’re better positioned to create the type of positive customer experience that can lead to repeat business.
4. Better Connecting the Middle Mile to the Last Mile
There’s traditionally been a disconnect between the middle and last mile. In this gap, there’s little intel into the location or status of a shipment, and communication with customers is nearly non-existent. As noted above, technology can help shippers bridge this gap.
Visibility, transparency, and communication are all keys to creating outstanding customer experiences. Finding the right technology for middle mile logistics helps you establish the visibility, transparency, and communication needed to eliminate this gap.
5. Creating Great Customer Experiences
When you master both the middle and last miles, you leave your customers wanting more. You’re better positioned to create positive experiences, which can lead to repeat purchases, outstanding reviews, and more word-of-mouth referrals.
Middle mile logistics technology gives you the tools to create lasting impressions among your customer base. Use tech to offer real-time tracking, keep shipments on pace for on-time delivery, empower customers to select their delivery windows, plus more. Given modern delivery challenges, trying to go it alone without the support of technology is a recipe for disaster.
The Power of Partnerships in the Middle Mile
The real challenge in the middle mile is identifying the right technology for your business. You can do your best to build a middle mile delivery program and tech stack in-house, but this requires significant time and resources. There’s a better option.
Working with a middle mile delivery partner gives you access to resources and capacity that can scale up and down as needed. Experiencing a peak season? A partner means you can rise to meet that demand without hiring more team members. A partner also comes with an existing tech stack designed to effectively manage the middle mile in a way that creates great customer experiences. You don’t have to build your own. Instead, simply tap into existing technology designed for the task at hand.
FRAYT: Your Tech-Enabled Middle Mile Partner
At FRAYT, we serve as a tech-enabled middle mile partner to businesses across different industries, including industrial supply companies, construction firms, manufacturing operations, retailers, 3PLs, logistics service providers, and others. We offer a diverse fleet, quality drivers, and a presence in major markets around the country — plus, our tech stack helps you enjoy all of the benefits listed above on an on-demand basis.
Ready to maximize your middle mile shipping for better customer experiences? Ship with us.
