Final-mile delivery is the new brand experience.
Updated on May 23, 2025
The global logistics industry generated $10.2 trillion in revenue during 2023. Now imagine how high that number would have been if it weren’t for poor delivery experiences.
The fact that 85% of customers decide to abandon their carts right before confirming their order, means thousands of dollars are up for grabs. A lot of that lost potential revenue streams.
And a study by the Baymard Institute revealed that 70.19% of online shopping carts are abandoned, with 48% of customers citing high extra costs (like shipping, taxes, and fees) as the main reason. Delayed shipments were the second most common cause, affecting 21% of customers.
Let’s take a look at what CX steps businesses can do to alleviate those issues and to make sure they never lose even a single penny again.
Why the final mile matters more than ever.
We’ve all seen those videos of Tour de France riders leading the race almost from the start only to be overtaken right before the finish line or marathon runners’ muscles giving out in the final stretch. That’s basically what happens to any ecommerce business that doesn’t pay attention to the last mile of the delivery. Everything they’ve worked for, all the great products or business models don’t matter if the customer has a terrible experience with delivery.
It’s not only an issue of lost revenue, but also of lost customer trust. Yes, a new customer abandoning a purchase hurts, but what hurts more is the loss of a returning customer that will then tell stories of how they loved your service but have since moved on.
When issues arise—and they inevitably will—brands that prioritize transparency, proactive communication, and operational reliability are far more likely to retain customer trust.
Strategies that transform logistics into a competitive advantage.
Proactive communication builds trust.
Modern-day customers expect businesses to take the first step in providing helpful communication. A consumer survey by Invoca found that 87% of people believe speaking directly to a human agent gives them more confidence during important buying decisions.
Meanwhile, forward-thinking brands take the lead to inform their customers about problems and solutions instead of making customers initiate these conversations.
Our team built a sentiment analysis system for a global fintech leader - Paypal, to identify early warning signs of dissatisfaction, which escalated the customer experience. Through making 11,500 proactive telephone calls to clients within the first day, our team raised NPS by 6.85 points in six months, showing the power of need anticipation to build loyalty.
Technology powers reliability at scale.
The combination of automated routing systems, predictive algorithms, and technology platforms is transforming how we approach last-mile delivery. While improved operational metrics are a key benefit, these innovations also have a direct and positive impact on customer satisfaction.
A Transcom case study with a telecommunications partner demonstrates the power of automation: Implementing RPA (Robotic Process Automation) for ticket management enabled agents to handle five times more customer inquiries, dramatically improving response times.
The customer service sector has been transformed by these technologies, with the most successful companies using automation not to replace human interaction but to enhance it, freeing representatives to focus on complex issues that require empathy and nuanced understanding.
Strategic partnerships create a competitive advantage.
The customer service industry now uses anticipating customer needs as the standard measure for excellent service delivery. And the demanding nature of current logistics operations requires professionals at an expert level.
Working with expert BPOs or 3PLs can be a game-changer: logistics businesses gain essential knowledge and technological resources, along with flexible staffing capabilities through partnership. The partners deliver best practices together with 24/7 support which enables consumers to consistently connect with well-informed customer success representatives.
Our work with a leading fashion brand illustrates this perfectly. By implementing advanced social CX tools and processes, we achieved 85% customer retention through social channels (compared to 75% on traditional channels) while simultaneously reducing average handling time significantly by 43% year over year—all while supporting 20% annual growth.
Conclusion.
Delivery is no longer simply a back-end operation; it shapes the customer experience as a whole. Failed customer expectations have a higher price tag than revenue; they cost trust and long-term loyalty. When your package arrives on time it’s not just a box at the doorstep, but a promise kept.
A consumer-centric approach requires businesses to provide quality products at affordable costs through efficient support and quick service delivery. The best brands today are connecting logistics with customer service; using technology to give real time updates, and partnering strategically to scale support. They're sending those "Your package is out for delivery!" texts that we’re anticipating.
Treating delivery as a direct extension of the brand is the first step toward turning operational excellence into lasting competitive advantage.