You just scored last-minute tickets to tomorrow’s big game, but that old team sweatshirt in your closet has seen better days. Where once you may have headed to your local big-box retailer to find whatever was in stock, you’re now looking online for a better selection with the promise of same- or next-day delivery. That’s true of your customers, too. Retailers that are unable to turn these expectations into reality will miss out. 

Delivering when customers need even within a day is more important than ever during peak season. Especially when shoppers bring a little extra urgency with each purchase and order volumes increase. To keep up with that demand, now is the time to make sure your fulfillment toolkit includes an option that lets you get your customers what they need, when they need it. 

That’s where route optimization comes in. Roadie’s crowdsourced delivery algorithm ensures that as volume for fast deliveries increases, routes are optimized for speed from dock-to-door in a market where efficiency is required to deliver same-day and next-day. The most successful retailers this season will be those that respond to the market’s challenges with innovative solutions. 

With Roadie, you can be sure you’re getting fast and efficient routes that get your deliveries where they are needed, when they are needed — even within hours. Plus, instead of your team spending precious time planning routes, Roadie’s platform does the work of optimizing your delivery routes for you.

Speed up your last mile with these route optimization benefits

The strongest case for route optimization is simple: Faster deliveries equal happier customers. 

Roadie’s optimized routes are designed to limit back-tracking and trips across town, while avoiding potential slowdowns, saving your team time and money while reducing customer wait times. Additional benefits include:

  • Shorter delivery times: Route optimization takes into account factors such as time sensitivity, route efficiency, vehicle capacity and more to find the fastest and most efficient route from your dock or store to your customers’ doorsteps. Roadie’s algorithm can determine the optimal number of pickups and drivers, so retailers don’t have to worry about a single driver having too many drops to deliver on time. 
  • Fuel savings: Rising fuel costs continue to pressure traditional carriers, and that cost is being passed down to the consumer. Route optimization leads to shorter routes, lower fuel usage and a smaller impact on your customers’ costs. 
  • Scalability: Keeping up with the high delivery volumes that come during the year-end surge can be challenging. Optimized delivery routes help retailers scale fulfillment while keeping their on-time delivery promise. Plus, with Roadie’s crowdsourcing platform, you can access additional delivery capacity on demand. 
  • Error reduction: An effective route optimization platform can spot problems and bottlenecks in delivery routes and re-route drivers to prevent costly delays.

Roadie’s proprietary route optimization algorithm makes ultrafast delivery even easier with fewer handoffs for your orders, reducing the chance of losing or damaging items. Digital sports platform Fanatics recently partnered with Roadie to get sports gear into the hands of fans even faster. One way they’re cutting down delivery times is by picking orders by route. Fanatics uploads all orders to the Roadie platform, and then Roadie’s route optimization algorithm plans the best routes. The Fanatics warehouse crew then sorts customer orders into delivery batches for pickup from their distribution centers, saving time on the warehouse floor. Thanks to Roadie’s route optimization algorithm and vast network of independent drivers, Fanatics can give customers the option of getting their sports gear as soon as the next day.  

“Fanatics is incredibly excited to partner with Roadie and bring our customers the merchandise they crave faster than ever before,” said Lonnie Phillips, Chief Customer Officer, Fanatics Commerce. “We place a continued emphasis on optimizing the fan experience, and this latest partnership with Roadie directly contributes to achieving that ultimate goal.” 

Make local delivery a reality with Roadie’s routing

Last-mile logistics are already complex. Roadie’s solution makes same-day and local next-day delivery simple by building routes optimized for speedy delivery, so your team can get back to doing what it does best.

Want to learn more? Download our playbook to discover how crowdsourced delivery can help you win and keep customers with fast, flexible and convenient fulfillment.

How crowdsourced delivery can help businesses win and keep customers in the last mile