InPost in the last mile

The last mile is the final stage of delivering a package after placing an online order, and it can make a difference to the user experience with the product they have purchased.

What is the last mile?

Purchases made over the Internet go through a transportation process with different phases. These stages range from preparing the order in the warehouse to delivering the package.

The last mile is one of these processes within the delivery of a package, the so-called capillary distribution. This method of delivery and parcel transportation manages a volume of products during the final leg by grouping a series of packages that will then be distributed across a given area. The space is divided into delivery zones or branches in order to improve logistics and ensure delivery in the shortest possible time.

Stages in a package's journey

The last mile is the final stage of package delivery, but it can only be carried out if the previous stages have been completed correctly. Among these stages, we can distinguish the following in chronological order: package preparation and leaving the warehouse, shipping (layovers or the transport method may vary depending on the originating warehouse and the recipient's delivery point), arrival at the transport company's facilities, last mile and order delivery.

All these phases are perfectly calculated to optimize costs as much as possible and reduce delivery time. If one of these stages fails, all the others will collapse in a chain reaction.

Importance of the last mile in the logistics sector

The last mile is the materialization of an entire prior process of transporting and managing a package, and its purpose is to facilitate the final process by reducing costs as much as possible and shortening delivery time, two aspects that are critical in package delivery.

Order in package management is the greatest asset in this stage. In this sense, it is not only important to organize a space into neighborhoods, delivery zones or branches. It is also necessary to take into account a very important factor: the travel time between one location and another within the same area. The last mile is responsible for solving this problem, placing nearby delivery points close to each other and establishing the shortest route, resulting in lower personal and transportation costs.

The importance of the last mile is enormous during periods of high orders and online shopping such as Black Friday or Christmas. This delivery technique makes it possible to organize logistics providers efficiently by prioritizing proximity between delivery points, the urgency of the package or its fragility.

The last mile is also closely related to the transport conditions of a package. It is important to bear in mind that some orders may be fragile, very heavy or may require a cold chain. The type of transport will be adapted to the type of product to be transported, never the other way around.

Finally, this delivery stage takes into account a series of external factors that may affect the package's arrival within the time promised by the brand. These factors include road closures, transport strikes, periods of high package volumes, adverse weather conditions and even customer comments regarding the delivery time and point.

InPost and the optimization of transport routes

At InPost, we are a courier company specializing in shipments to pickup points; that is, packages are not sent to the customer's home, but are instead deposited at a Punto Pack or Locker where the customer will collect them. This allows us to optimize the final stage of package delivery, the last mile, to the fullest.

The Punto Pack are usually local businesses (stationery shops, newsagents, bookshops, florists, etc.) and the Locker are smart lockers available 24/7 that can be found at gas stations, supermarkets or shopping centers, indoors or outdoors. 

In addition, thanks to our partnership with Llewo, 66% of the vehicles we use for last-mile deliveries in our Punto Pack and Locker network are eco-friendly. And in the specific case of the Basque Country and Zaragoza, that figure is 100%. We will soon have news in the rest of Spanish cities.