Parcel and Postal Technology International
  • News
    • A-E
      • Automation
      • Business Diversification
      • Construction / Development
      • Cross-border
      • Delivery
      • E-commerce
      • Expo
    • F-O
      • Freight
      • IT & Systems
      • Last Mile
      • Lockers / PUDO
      • Logistics
      • Mail
      • Operations
    • P-R
      • Packets
      • Parcels
      • Peak
      • Retail
      • Returns
    • S-Z
      • Sorting Systems
      • Staff / Personnel
      • Sustainability
      • Technology
      • Vehicles / Fleet
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    • March 2025
    • September 2023
    • June 2023
    • March 2023
    • December 2022
    • SHOWCASE 2019
    • Archive Issues
    • Subscribe Free!
  • Opinion
  • Videos
  • Analysis
  • Awards
    • 2025 Awards
    • Previous Winners
  • Supplier Spotlight
  • Parcel + Post Expo
LinkedIn YouTube Twitter
  • Sign-up for Breaking News Emails
  • Meet the Editors
  • Contact Us
  • Media Pack
Subscribe
LinkedIn Facebook
Parcel and Postal Technology International
  • News
      • Automation
      • Business Diversification
      • Construction / Development
      • Cross-border
      • Delivery
      • E-commerce
      • Expo
      • Freight
      • IT & Systems
      • Last Mile
      • Lockers / PUDO
      • Logistics
      • Mail
      • Operations
      • Packets
      • Parcels
      • Peak
      • Retail
      • Returns
      • Sorting Systems
      • Staff / Personnel
      • Sustainability
      • Technology
      • Vehicles / Fleet
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    1. December 2024
    2. September 2024
    3. June 2024
    4. March 2024
    5. SHOWCASE 2019
    6. Subscribe Free!
    Featured
    April 2, 2025

    In this Issue – March 2025

    Online Magazines By Web Team
    Recent

    In this Issue – March 2025

    April 2, 2025

    In this Issue – December 2024

    December 5, 2024

    In this Issue – September 2024

    September 19, 2024
  • Opinion
  • Videos
  • Analysis
  • Awards
    • 2025 Awards
    • 2024 Award Winners
    • 2023 Award Winners
    • 2022 Award Winners
    • 2021 Award Winners
    • 2020 Award Winners
    • 2019 Award Winners
    • Previous Winners
  • Supplier Spotlight
  • Parcel + Post Expo
LinkedIn Facebook
Subscribe
Parcel and Postal Technology International
Technology

European delivery firms leading on last-mile innovation strategies, finds research

mmBy Dan SymondsDecember 8, 20215 Mins Read
Share LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email
Credit: Adobe stock

Research from mobile computer developer Scandit has identified how the impact of Covid-19 has pushed Europe-based last-mile companies to innovate.

In the face of unprecedented hurdles and shifting consumer demands, European operations are more likely to invest in new services (14.3%) such as pickup and drop-off (PUDO) and new innovations (20.6%), including real-time delivery changes. This is in contrast to their North American counterparts of which just 5.9% prioritize new offerings with a heavier focus on meeting today’s demands. European firms are also more likely to invest in augmented reality (AR) today or in the future (69.2%) than those in North America (58.8%).

The research, conducted across Europe and North America by ITTS and VDC Research respectively, interviewed 118 senior decision makers from many of the world’s largest postal and logistics providers and found that companies who use smartphones during last-mile delivery tend to be more innovation-focused, providing an advantage to meet increased customer expectations.

Local investment
Scandit’s research highlights that different challenges and investment priorities exist across Europe. For example, companies in Eastern Europe and the Nordics are most focused on adding new apps and features (43.8%) and technology that supports new services (18.8%) such as PUDO. This aligns with one of their most cited local challenges – the need to provide new customer services (33%) – and demonstrates a positive step that they are evolving their offering to improve the customer experience in their region.

Western Europe including Great Britain is more evenly balanced in its technology investment plans between improving the fundamentals such as delivery app enhancements (37%) and offering new services (18.5%) or contactless processes (25.9%). However, Western Europe is significantly more open than its peers in southern European countries when it comes to deploying new capabilities and services. For example, 18.5% plan to invest in new apps and features in Western Europe, compared to just 5% in southern Europe, whose top priority is enhancing their current delivery app (60%).

Augmented reality in the last mile
Regardless of region, the majority of enterprises perceive that augmented reality (AR) technology will have a huge impact on last-mile delivery. Over three-quarters (76%) of enterprises globally believe AR is an important last-mile technology, with over one-third (34%) of survey respondents stating that it is a priority for them to invest in today. Businesses who use smartphones are the most likely to recognize the importance of AR, with 85.8% believing it is important and 42.9% thinking it is important to invest in it now. This further suggests that the companies using smartphones with computer vision enabled apps are already on the path toward future innovation.

Pat Nolan, senior research analyst at VDC Research, said, “AR is an important key to unlocking greater competitive performance and differentiation for last-mile delivery operations, with over 34% of global respondents saying it is on their shortlist of technology investment considerations. A last-mile AR solution can help a driver, for example, quickly identify a specific parcel in a densely packed delivery van or see real-time delivery instructions. The use cases for AR here reduce some of the stress placed on frontline workers’ shoulders and make the operation more efficient overall.”

AR is likely to be essential in overcoming current and future last-mile challenges. For example, AR can significantly help with reducing last-mile process inefficiencies and onboarding drivers. Instructions delivered via AR overlays are beneficial with training inexperienced drivers or contract workers. This is especially important when it comes to scaling for peaks in demand like Christmas and to help overcome current driver shortages.

The right deployment strategy
As well as being more open to innovation, half of the enterprises that are using smartphones in the last mile are also currently leveraging a bring your own device (BYOD) strategy. Among European respondents, the biggest driver for BYOD is reducing costs (57.1%) and replacing aging hardware (42%), which helps address their major challenge of balancing profitability. BYOD is a logical investment for last-mile delivery because it can almost completely eliminate hardware costs. This helps businesses to scale and be flexible, which is especially important with continuous peak periods. It is, therefore, unsurprising that 100% of dedicated device users in Eastern Europe and the Nordics stated they have or are considering switching to smartphones.

Samuel Mueller, CEO and co-founder at Scandit, said, “While Covid-19 and supply chain issues across Europe have created new challenges for last-mile delivery, it has also accelerated solutions that were long in the pipeline – for example, a heavier reliance on smartphone use and BYOD. Especially interesting, however, are the varying priorities across Europe, but it’s positive to see that these are being recognized and investments made accordingly. It signifies that logistics companies clearly see the impact that issues in the last mile can have on customers and how essential it is to address them today and into the future.”

Share. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email
Previous ArticleBeumer launches sorting system tailored to small and medium-sized parcels
Next Article Outlook for European logistics market is positive in 2022

Related Posts

Staff / Personnel

Canada Post workers threaten more strike action

May 21, 20252 Mins Read
Construction / Development

DP World to invest US$2.5bn in logistics infrastructure in 2025

May 21, 20252 Mins Read
Delivery

Evri accelerates parcel deliveries in Republic of Ireland with multimillion-pound Coll-8 acquisition

May 21, 20252 Mins Read

Receive breaking stories and features in your inbox each week, for free


Enter your email address:


Latest News

Canada Post workers threaten more strike action

May 21, 2025

DP World to invest US$2.5bn in logistics infrastructure in 2025

May 21, 2025

Evri accelerates parcel deliveries in Republic of Ireland with multimillion-pound Coll-8 acquisition

May 21, 2025
Getting in Touch
  • Contact Us / Advertiser
  • Meet the Editors
  • Download Media Pack
  • Breaking News Emails
Our Social Channels
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
Supplier Spotlights
  • Innovation Robot Delivery GmbH
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Notice & Takedown Policy
  • Site FAQs
© 2025 UKi Media & Events a division of UKIP Media & Events Ltd

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe GDPR Cookie Consent plugin sets the cookie to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie stores user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie stores the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
elementorneverThe website's WordPress theme uses this cookie. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time.
JSESSIONIDsessionNew Relic uses this cookie to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

CookieDurationDescription
__cf_bm30 minutesCloudflare set the cookie to support Cloudflare Bot Management.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded YouTube videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
uidsessionThis is a Google UserID cookie that tracks users across various website segments.
vuid1 year 1 month 4 daysVimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos on the website.
_ga1 year 1 month 4 daysGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors.
_ga_*1 year 1 month 4 daysGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

CookieDurationDescription
OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
OAID1 yearCookie set to record whether the user has opted out of the collection of information by the AdsWizz Service Cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysYouTube sets this cookie to measure bandwidth, determining whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYoutube sets this cookie to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt.innertube::nextIdneverYouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requestsneverYouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA5 months 27 daysDescription is currently not available.

SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by