Here's how the future of D2D logistics looks like

Global logistics market is expected to flourish exponentially in the coming years. According to the 2018 data of the Economic Survey, logistics industry of India is pegged to grow at 10% per annum. It has also been envisioned by the experts that the future growth of the industry will be focused on India’s tier 2 and 3 markets which talk a lot about the emerging opportunities for door to door logistics service providers.

In order to understand how door to door logistics will play an indispensable role in the economic growth and how the future of door to door logistics looks like from the current angle, let’s delve further into some of the speculations.

If the current economic condition of India is taken into consideration, the nation needs to buck up in terms of exports in order to accomplish the mission of joining the USD 5 trillion club by 2025. If the exports are to be increased, logistics will play a crucial role in moving raw materials to the manufacturing plants. With the increase in manufacturing of products, the need of production plants is also likely to increase. With that happening, a lot of movement of goods is expected.

Another likelihood is the rapid urbanization in India in the coming years which implies that more frequent movement of goods will take place to the newly turned cities. This will act as a primary contributor to the growth of the door-to-door logistics sector. While we are still considering the aspects namely growth in the manufacturing sector, infrastructure, urbanization, etc for the future of D2D logistics in India, technologically advanced countries are devising ways to improve last mile logistics.   

Last mile logistics is being eyed as the area of emphasis in the D2D logistics arena. Countries across the globe are trying to improve the last mile delivery services and make them more efficient, streamlined, and simplified. With changing customer expectations, it has become important for the D2D logistics sector to work on the delivery time. Earlier, customers who wanted faster delivery were ready to pay extra but with time, the dynamics have changed. They want faster delivery without paying anything extra. There are customers who expect delivery in no time and that is exactly where express D2D logistics services come into the picture. It is pretty much evident that the future of D2D logistics will comprise of express deliveries. 

Customers have already started seeking complete transparency in terms of shipping. They prefer to be informed of the shipping status of their goods and wish to have complete control over their shipment. With such demands in place, D2D logistics services with efficient tracking ability look promising to stand the test of time. Due to a drastic shift to e-commerce sector, the D2D logistics sector has already observed a substantial growth. With time, the e-commerce sector growth statistics are likely to increase, thus giving a push to the D2D logistics growth. 

Considering the futuristic approaches being adopted by the logistics companies, robotics will certainly dominate this arena. Unmanned deliveries with the help of robots and drones will be more common scenario. As operational excellence is necessary in the door-to-door supply chain, robotisation will help in meeting the requisite. Moreover, robotisation will combat resource shortage and change in the labour market conditions which will directly impact the delivery time.

With the introduction of ultra-low emission zones or clean air zones, D2D logistics sector will be forced to use zero emission vehicles with no pollution and no noise. The future of D2D logistics looks quite greener, not adhering to which will cost heavy penalty. 

Currently, a lot of effort is being put into new transport planning and more efficient scheduling systems. Big data is being implemented to attain a radical change in the way scheduling systems work at the moment. Big data will help in the forecast of delivery routes which will in turn help in tactical planning. On the basis of real time traffic information and the availability of unloading zones, operational planning and scheduling will be done. Smart planning and IoT will ensure that the planning process is brought down to seconds from minutes. 

Uberfication is something that cannot go unnoticed when it comes to last mile logistics. It is a widespread phenomenon that is expected to improve the urban freight process. Data sharing capabilities with several private and public partners in the supply chain will certainly be a seamless process due to uberfication. D2D logistics is a domain that can be largely benefitted by uberfication.

Another futuristic trend largely envisioned by the D2D logistics experts is the building or taking advantage of urban warehouse space. In this manner, slow, large scale mobility can be coupled with personalised, small scale mobility. This will help in the strengthening of public-private partnerships. 

Strong safety measures can also be expected to do rounds in the D2D logistics arena in the future. As D2D logistics is all about heavy vehicles and cargo vans, improving the safety standards will undoubtedly play a crucial role in operational enhancements. 

With all the trends and speculations discussed, the future of D2D logistics looks transformed for the better. In India, the developments might not look as pronounced as they would in the technologically advanced countries, nevertheless, the sector is expected to grow substantially.