SPONSORED: First steps for last mile success

Sponsored Post

29th Aug 2016

E-commerce is booming. Global e-commerce sales reached $1.3 trillion in 2014, with one billion digitally-connected buyers purchasing physical goods online, according to eMarketer. Online retailers are in a position to take advantage of this opportunity, with a global market at their fingertips, and a storefront reaching billions of shoppers, but this is putting pressure on parcel delivery.

With the expanse of connected devices and social networks, consumers are empowered with greater choices, instant reviews and high service expectations. The consumer is in the driver’s seat when it comes to choosing product, price and delivery options and the last mile is a critical component of the overall consumer experience. Full in-transit transparency is expected from the point or origin up to final receipt, and accuracy and precision is essential.

This trend works to intensify competition among domestic parcel carriers and the number of players in this space continues to rise. Automation is clearly the key to meeting e-commerce demand and increasing operational efficiency. However, postal and delivery organisations cannot focus solely on the physical aspects of package delivery within the e-commerce value-chain.

First Steps
The importance of capturing accurate and complete item information at the point of transaction origination, as well as communicating this data to all involved parties, cannot be overstated. Integrated hardware and software solutions are required to optimise the process by:
• Reducing labour costs
• Mitigating risks
• Supporting growth strategies
• Improving client experience

The challenge for delivery networks is to balance the need for increasing throughput while enhancing efficiency and accuracy and investing in solutions that will provide flexibility for future growth.

As a trusted partner to the shipping and postal industry, Pitney Bowes has designed systems based on client requests for solutions that perform multiple tasks, automate manual processes and provide accurate data gathering and reporting.

For those requiring an efficient and cost effective means of rapidly processing parcels, and flats, the Pitney Bowes OneSort™ workstation offers sophisticated functionality with remarkable simplicity. Simultaneously reading and capturing item weight, dimensions, barcode and OCR data, OneSort™ systems facilitate rapid data capture while instantly processing instructions for labeling, routing, postal documentation, client billing and custom reporting. Utilised at point of parcel induction or as an exception processing station for non-automatable packages, OneSort systems provide a comprehensive data set for downstream communication across the entire distribution network as well as the consumer.

OneSort systems are ideal as the first step in a closed loop system that automates manual processes, expedites deliveries and provides an enterprise chain-of-custody view with final proof of delivery.

At their core, OneSort™ data capture solutions are powered by the Pitney Bowes Business Logic Processing (BLP) software. As the foundation for all Pitney Bowes sorting solutions, the BLP software has been successfully integrated with all manner of business management platforms. It has been designed from the beginning to provide seamless integration with a high degree of flexibility in order to incorporate new technology or applications as business models change over time. This has proved extremely valuable in a market that is rapidly growing and evolving.

For the empowered online consumer to receive a truly seamless experience, businesses need to balance digital platforms with physical technology. Intelligent automation is the cornerstone for enabling businesses to make the most of the unprecedented opportunity e-commerce presents.

For more information visit: pitneybowes.com/au/onesort