A decade ago, we all could have sworn that the mailing system was near dead. All our counterintuitive thoughts were brought to an end when the pandemic hit.
Before the inception of Covid-19, shopping for your favorite merchandise wasn’t so challenging. You could go to your local store to quickly restock.
We never expected to receive parcels and packages consistently in the new normal. However, that changed during the pandemic.
We can attest that we never saw the cardboard raid coming. We’re one way guilty of hoarding boxes indoors as a result of excessive online shopping.
The mailman’s always knocking on your door, dropping parcels every day, even mastering the postal codes. We all turned into hoarders during the pandemic.
It forced us to remain indoors and became cardboard stackers.
According to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development survey, the pandemic changed the way consumers use digital platforms to shop online. The survey also enlists 3700 consumers that participated in online shopping during the pandemic.
They’ve acclimatized to the online shopping spree that one wonders if truly parcel delivery can reach a decline.
Though many may not like to admit it, we’re forced to use the delivery man as an option. Sending and receiving packages was one of the major events that took place during the pandemic.
Online shopping made us come together to feel the vitality of having a loved one to lean on during tough times.
We can’t say it happened inadvertently, but an event we couldn’t maneuver. To ease the burden of online shopping, some delivery systems reduced the prices of consumer purchases.
Some of us dreamed of the day we could receive and exchange parcels, but we didn’t know we would have to stick to the pain of waiting for weeks and probably receiving the wrong package.
How did online delivery companies handle the rush?
It’s the utmost pride and priority of any delivery service company to get the pump of making fast deliveries. There is no doubt that 2020 left an unbelievable milestone in the sector.
Usually, these companies have a peak record beginning from mid-November all the way to December, which faces a major boost during the annual Black Friday sales.
During the pandemic, major delivery companies were under the bridge with deliveries. The pressure to meet up with deadlines and time seemed like a herculean task.
For instance, in the UK, the delivery company industry saw an increase of 28% in revenue. The figure compared to 2019 is a tremendous increase for such companies.
A recent survey by Mckinsey consultancy in Germany reported that since most, if not all, consumers have to shop online, it reached a maximum boost of over 40%.
With the need for more manpower, most companies have employees over 10,000 staff to distribute consumer goods across every border.
It was also a massive way to generate employment which consequently added to every nation’s GDP.
Although some major issues have been raised over the aftermath of the parcel buzz post-pandemic. Some of which include;
- Would delivery companies face more pressure from customers?
- Would people still be interested in online shopping?
- With the uprising in parcel shipments and delivery, could they even have an automation takeover?
- How would delivery companies handle consumer decline when lockdowns have been lifted?
The present state of delivery companies
Sure the pandemic has been successfully defeated, but how are the delivery companies coping? The events that skyrocketed in 2020 have been graced with rather skeptical eyes.
With employee jobs on the rise, delivery companies are starting to navigate into tech-oriented options to bolster the delivery chain.
The major question is, how well are these companies doing in 2022? Well, personally, online shopping isn’t what it used to be in 2020.
We didn’t have a choice but to shop online. However, many people have sorted it as an alternative to waiting in line or traveling across continents to shop.
One major factor the parcel delivery company depends on isn’t consumer patronage or efficiency but sustainability.
Believe it or not, more people are looking into the light of online shopping. The pandemic ushered in a new era for these parcel delivery companies.
However, due to consumer congestion, the introduction of AI-powered machines to foster manpower may serve as a threat.
Companies are beginning to seek faster and more efficient alternatives. Some are adopting drones to place deliveries at your front door while they use electric-powered bicycles.
Trials have already begun to see how they can be incorporated into the bustling cities without interruptions.
Some researchers have expressed skepticism over the inclusion of automated machines. In the delivery chain, the last mile is largely due to the ends of human intervention.
It’s still in the making. These companies are optimizing that both humans and AI-powered machines can co-exist in the delivery space.
Are we drawing the curtains on cardboard hoarding?
Sadly, be prepared to witness more brown boxes in your garage.
Many people will go into online shopping, and some stores are creating online alternatives to ease the burden.
It may not be a sad incident for such companies after all.
Final say
Post-covid, the rate of consumer delivery has been off the roof. We’ve all had to remain hoarders for quite a long time. It took us a year of acclimatization to get to this point.
Even though employees are on their toes over the machine takeover, they should be assured they’re an important step to every successful parcel delivery.
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash