The development of the last mile has been the most expensive but also the most challenging, so the daily final delivery of hundreds of thousands of packages to the hands of digital consumers has triggered a series of innovative strategies by all an ecosystem of companies involved in this process.

T21 invited 5 of the protagonists of the last mile to its Logistics Business Dialogues program to talk about the challenges and reveal the logistics strategies for which their companies have opted and collected profits, precisely after just over 2 years of health crisis in which Mexico has experienced exponential growth in electronic commerce and the outlook remains encouraging.

Both Estafeta, 99 Minutos, iVoy and Cargamos, technology, logistics and transportation companies specializing in the last mile, as well as Coppel, one of the largest retail firms in the country that has made a breakthrough in digital platforms, have one thing in common : at the center of its strategy is only the end customer.

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From this, the investments made have taken shape with technological developments focused on multiple edges in the delivery service, which allow a greater visualization of the entire process, as well as specialized training methods for its human resources to preserve the same quality in attention to the end customer.

Estafeta, one of the largest courier, parcel and logistics companies in the country, focused its investment of 2,108 million pesos on acquiring vehicle units and on the construction of various operating centers, coupled with the hiring of thousands of new collaborators, as well as the development of new technology to meet the growth in demand that has occurred in the last 2 years.

For iVoy, one of the first firms specialized in the last mile that appeared in the market prior to the pandemic, the strategy also focuses on training its drivers, who are a fundamental part of the agility of its processes.

In the case of Cargamos, a firm also specialized in the last mile that began in 2019, the strategy is clear around the construction of logistics infrastructure that allows them to be close to the end customer (it has even taken this idea to parking spaces commercial), while prior to this delivery process it has created a density in the volume of merchandise handled that allows them to reduce costs, time and, incidentally, their carbon footprint.

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99 minutes, for its part, another firm specializing in ultra-fast deliveries in the last mile, has established a close relationship with its clients to know their logistics needs from end to end and from there detonate a "personalized" strategy. for each one of them, developing the fulfillment (complete service logistics center) with more than 5 thousand square meters and with expandable models based on installed capacity, and with that we think about optimizing customers, said Pedro Zárate, Vice President of Sales in 99minutes.

On the part of Coppel, one of the main retailers in Mexico, its strategy has been aimed at triggering omnichannel with the support of its own infrastructure already installed (more than 1,600 stores and 20 distribution centers), as well as the transportation capacity that it has developed (more than 3,000 vehicles), which allow it to have simultaneous attention with its customers in various channels (physical and digital), although it does not rule out logistical support with different business partners.

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