Last Mile
The final leg of delivery from the distributor or local hub to the retail outlet or end consumer.
Full definition
The last mile is the final, shortest, and most expensive leg of the distribution journey, from the distributor's godown or local hub to the retailer's shop or the consumer's door. It is the leg where 30-50% of total logistics cost is often incurred, despite being the shortest in distance. Traffic congestion, narrow lanes, multiple stops, and tight delivery windows all conspire to make last-mile distribution the hardest problem to optimize.
In dairy, last-mile delivery usually happens between 4 AM and 9 AM, before urban traffic builds and before retailers open for the day. Missing the window means missing the entire day's sale because consumers buy milk in the morning.
Route optimization and distribution tracking software compress last-mile cost by sequencing stops optimally, dynamically re-routing around traffic, and providing ETAs to retailers.
Real-world example
A Mother Dairy delivery van leaves the Noida depot at 3:30 AM and serves 40 kirana outlets across Sector 18 before 7:30 AM, the last-mile leg.
Where it applies
Applicable industries
This term is relevant across the following SpireStock-supported industries.
How SpireStock handles it
Related SpireStock features
The concepts described above are implemented end-to-end in these product modules.
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