Locus Listed as a Sample Vendor for Last-Mile Delivery Solutions In 2 Gartner® Hype CycleTM Reports

This is the second such mention for the company as a Sample Vendor for last-mile delivery solutions this year

We are excited to announce that Locus has been listed as a Sample Vendor for last-mile delivery solutions in the Gartner® Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Execution Technologies, 2022, and the Gartner® Hype Cycle for Smart City Technologies and Solutions, 2022. This is another such recognition following being listed as a Representative Vendor in the Gartner® Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling and Last-Mile Technologies, 2021. It was also previously mentioned in the Gartner® Hype Cycle for Transportation Industry, 2021, and the Gartner® Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling, 2020.

“Gartner Hype Cycles provide a graphic representation of the maturity and adoption of technologies and applications, and how they are potentially relevant to solving real business problems and exploiting new opportunities,” notes the Gartner Hype Cycle Methodology. The Hype Cycle reports list last-mile delivery solutions under the Slope of Enlightenment curve. Solutions under this phase are defined as, “Focused experimentation and solid hard work by an increasingly diverse range of organizations lead to a true understanding of the innovation’s applicability, risks, and benefits.”

The 2022 Gartner Hype Cycle for Smart City Technologies and Solutions explains that “Trends in analytics at the service delivery point, decarbonization, last-mile logistics, mobility and building options are opening the door for an experience delivered at the edge of the service delivery network, thus calling for 5G and broadband rollouts.”

Speaking on the development, Nishith Rastogi, Founder and CEO of Locus, said, “To keep up with the ever-increasing demand for faster deliveries and staggering growth in order volumes, businesses across e-commerce, retail, 3PLs, and home services need intelligent platforms that take into consideration the real-world constraints, and not only provide visibility in last-mile fulfillment but also enable better decision-making for unparalleled customer experience. Locus’ dispatch management platform helps make every delivery more efficient than the last, which results in fewer miles traveled, and more deliveries being done in a day. Being named as a sample vendor, we feel validated in our tireless pursuit of excellence and innovation in one of the most challenging areas of logistics.”

How last-mile technologies are making a difference

The end consumer is now firmly at the center of the supply chain, pulling products and services to their home. As a result, expectations around delivery times and the post-purchase experience have risen significantly. Studies show that almost half of consumers will switch brands if delivery times are too long or delivery experiences are poor. Last-mile solutions such as Locus’ dispatch management platform are enabling businesses to make deliveries in ever-shortening time frames at scale. Our real-world-ready dispatch management platform helps enterprises transform their last mile logistics operations. It is being implemented and used by more than 200+ clients across 30+ countries globally to power more than 650M deliveries.

The platform has five key modules: Order Management, Dispatch Planning, Hybrid Fleet Management, Track and Trace, and Insights and Analytics. The Carrier Management feature of its Hybrid Fleet Management module allows businesses to scale up their delivery capabilities with reliable third-party carriers, including local and hyper-local delivery carriers, courier carriers, and crowd-sourced delivery services.

Last-mile logistics is the most expensive leg of the fulfillment cycle, as it accounts for 53% of total shipping costs. Drivers relying on intuition could add to these costs by driving more empty miles, delaying orders, and losing consumers. Locus’ Route Planning feature empowers drivers to do more with dispatch routes optimized to 180+ real-world constraints. Each route is created so drivers make the highest possible on-time deliveries with the least carbon footprint. Its advanced routing capabilities can re-route drivers past unpredictable obstacles such as traffic jams or bottlenecks in real-time and ensure on-time deliveries stay on track.

Our last-mile solutions can also empower businesses to provide a differentiated consumer experience in a highly competitive marketplace. With Locus’ Capacity Management platform, consumers can be provided with convenient slots for delivery or appointments and optimally assign drivers or technicians to fulfill them. This is highly valuable for companies in the home and industrial services field. 

Locus is also mindful of the Sustainability goals and aspirations of businesses. It allows for the reporting on the level of carbon emissions saved with optimal route planning and capacity management. On the Analytics front, the platform provides intuitive dashboards that help businesses identify hotspots and uncover trends so that they can deliver a better experience each day to their drivers and customers. 

Last-mile technology solutions can help empower everyone from the Chief Supply Chain Officer to the warehouse manager to the drivers to make more deliveries at the right time, right cost, and with the right experience. As the new trends and consumer expectations shape last-mile delivery, we will continue to innovate in new avenues to achieve last-mile excellence.

Source:

Gartner, Gartner Hype Cycle Methodology

Gartner, “Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Execution Technologies, 2022,” Dwight Klappich, 27 June 2022.

Gartner, “Hype Cycle for Smart City Technologies and Solutions, 2022,” Bettina Tratz-Ryan, Bill Finnerty, 22 July 2022.

Gartner, “Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling and Last-Mile Technologies,” Oscar Sanchez Duran, Bart De Muynck, Carly West, 13 December 2021.

Gartner, “Hype Cycle for Transportation Industry, 2020,” Ivar Berntz, Venecia Liu, Thierry Kuperman Le Bihan, Pedro Pacheco, 13 August 2020.

Gartner, “Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling,” Oscar Sanchez Duran, Bart De Muynck, 23 June 2020.

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