The unknown journey of the parcel

Almost one out of three e-commerce retailers still leave their customers in uncertainty as to when they can expect their parcel and do not provide an estimated delivery date (see parcelLab). Customer-centric supply chain management provides a solution here and accompanies the customer before, during and after the purchase by creating sustainable customer experiences at all touchpoints.

• Increasing customer expectations such as one-day delivery, determining the pick-up and drop-off location, sustainable packaging or real-time tracking of parcels are influencing the supply chain and creating greater complexity in delivery networks.
   
• End-to-end processes, from procurement to delivery, are often not coordinated and lack transparency for the customer (e.g. availability of products in the (online) shop depending on stock levels, uniform brand experience with shipment tracking via third-party fulfillment service providers).
   
• Valuable information that the customer leaves behind during the customer journey (e.g. products in the shopping cart, repeated purchases of the same product, customer reviews) is not (holistically) recorded and passed on, making it difficult to draw conclusions about changes in customer behavior and future forecasts/demand planning.

• Gathering and precise allocation of customer expectations and needs through customer centric supply chain management and exchange/linking of customer data for extended monetization of data
   
• Establishment of a supply chain ecosystem and integration of the customer as success factor for long-term customer satisfaction, as well as efficient allocation of tracking and performance efforts in the supply chain
   
• Customer first: Adaptation of the "classic" supply chain with the end customer at the center and alignment of end-to-end processes with the customer
   
• Increasing information transparency through state-of-the-art technologies, such as real-time delivery tracking, control tower and data analytics or generative AI, to improve the post-purchase experience
   
• Digitization of customer touchpoints along the supply chain through e.g. chat/voice bots and online self-service options