Logistics isn’t an exact science, but getting it wrong can cost you. As customers demand faster delivery speeds, retailers need smart, scalable ways to get products where they need to be at pace. To bolster speed in the final mile, supply chain professionals have dedicated resources to expanding warehouse networks to position inventory closer to customer doorsteps. 

An expanded warehouse network can dramatically reduce delivery times. According to research by Chicago Consulting, growing from one to two strategically placed warehouses can reduce the average distance to customers by nearly 40% and cut average transit time from 2.29 days to just over 1.5. Add a third warehouse, and you can shave an additional seven hours off your average transit time, putting nearly 90% of your customers within reach of two-day delivery. 

The benefits are impressive, but there’s a catch: Many customers want their deliveries in less than two days. Some want those deliveries within hours. 

That’s where cross-docking comes into play. Cross-docking allows shippers to maximize the benefits of an expanded warehouse network. When you pair your warehouse network with on-demand delivery and the RoadieXD™ cross-docking model, you unlock a smarter, faster way to tackle the last mile.

Cross-docking — but not the way you remember it

When you think of cross-docking, you probably think about how big retailers in the 80s and 90s mastered the process of moving inventory from truck to truck at cross-dock facilities across the country, minimizing the need for long-term inventory storage and increasing the speed of distribution for fast-selling items. 

What we’re talking about is something newer. 

Retailers have learned the hard way that as customer expectations rise and delivery windows shrink, the inflexibility of traditional delivery models makes it extremely challenging to deliver efficiently and affordably — especially orders that don’t fit neatly within logistics processes designed to achieve delivery within two or more days. 

Now, you may already have your inventory spread across a national network of warehouses but still can’t reliably hit same-day delivery targets. RoadieXD™ leverages regional cross-docks in conjunction with crowdsourced delivery to improve delivery speed from your warehouses to customer doorsteps. You load up a truckload of online orders from your warehouse and send it to a cross-dock facility, where items are batched, routed and loaded into smaller delivery vehicles bound for your customers.

By leveraging RoadieXD™ in the final mile, retailers can cut delivery times even further, keeping orders on the move and customers happy. 

5 Ways to deliver smarter with RoadieXD™

Cross-docking with RoadieXD™ isn’t just a new way to move inventory; it’s a smarter way to solve one of the biggest challenges in last-mile delivery. From speeding up fulfillment to improving oversized item handling, here are five challenges of traditional warehousing and the RoadieXD™ solution for better, faster, more efficient delivery.

1. Facilitating on-demand and same-day delivery

Consumers don’t just want items delivered soon — they want the option to have them delivered almost immediately. Statista research shows that nearly two-thirds of global e-commerce shoppers expect delivery times within 24 hours. But traditional distribution models often rely on shipping from regional hubs hundreds of miles from customer doorsteps. That kind of distance can kill ultrafast delivery opportunities. 

The RoadieXD™ hyperlocal cross-docking model changes that. Products are delivered to a cross-dock located within the customer’s metro area. From there, they're handed off to a crowdsourced driver and delivered within hours instead of days. This makes it easier to meet tight delivery windows and offer customers true same-day options, even for large or specialty items.

2. Improving the delivery of big and bulky items

Oversized goods like tires, exercise equipment or small appliances don’t exactly play nicely with standard last-mile carriers. They’re tough to package, expensive to ship and store and are at high risk of damage.

RoadieXD™ is built for oversized deliveries. Instead of relying on traditional parcel networks, the RoadieXD™ crowdsourced community of independent drivers includes access to trucks, vans and SUVs better suited to handling larger items. With minimal handoffs and fewer transfer points, retailers also reduce the chances of damage in transit, meaning fewer returns and happier customers.

3. Reducing the need for excessive packaging

Traditional shipping methods often require layers of protective packaging to survive long trips and multiple handoffs or palletization to fit neatly into semi-trailers. While protecting goods on their journey is important, some packaging demands can waste materials and money unnecessarily. For instance, only about 21% of pallet stretch wrap in the U.S. is estimated to be recycled. It’s a normal cost of doing business, but knowing that nearly 80% of your business’s plastic film spend goes straight to the landfill can be a tough pill to swallow. 

RoadieXD™ helps relieve that expense and offers a more sustainable alternative. Most deliveries sent through the Roadie network require no boxes or other packaging. And with fewer transfer points, less time in transit and gentler handling via direct-to-door delivery, cross-docking lets retailers cut back on packaging without sacrificing product safety. For retailers focused on sustainability and cost savings, that’s a big win.

4. Using stores for customers again

To meet growing demands for ultrafast, hyperlocal delivery, many retailers have opted to leverage their store footprint to fulfill orders placed online. In theory, this works well because the item ordered online generally exists within inventory at a store within a few miles of the customer’s home. Pick it up, deliver it, order complete, right?

Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. Known as buy online, deliver from store (BODFS), this method is inherently expensive for the retailer. They’ve already paid to have the item distributed from a warehouse into store inventory, so fulfilling the online order from the store effectively means the retailer has to pay for fulfillment on that item twice.

Cross-docking with RoadieXD™ lets retailers achieve fast hyperlocal delivery without forcing stores to double as warehouses. The retailer gets to use the store for in-person sales again, eliminating those redundant fulfillment costs, and store associates have more time to focus on in-store customers because they aren’t distracted by picking and packing orders.

5. Delivering a better customer experience

At the end of the day, your logistics strategy is only as good as the customer experience it delivers. RoadieXD™ helps retailers streamline the last mile and offer a delivery experience customers love: fast, convenient and dependable. Research has shown that ultrafast delivery contributes to lower cart abandonment and improved customer satisfaction, which can lead to repeat business. With a simple integration into your logistics process, adding cross-docked delivery only promises to capitalize on these trends.

Rethink the final mile with cross-docking

If your current last-mile model is slowing you down, it’s time for a smarter approach. Cross-docked delivery with RoadieXD™ gives you the opportunity to increase delivery speed, reduce damage and waste and scale on demand, all while delighting customers at the door.

Whether you're growing into new markets or product lines, delivering oversized items or simply trying to keep up with customer demand for ultrafast service, cross-docking provides a smarter way forward. And with the expansive network of independent drivers and hyperlocal approach, RoadieXD™ makes it easier than ever to deliver on your promises and keep your customers coming back.

Rethinking your logistics strategy? Start with the final mile. RoadieXD™ is ready to help you deliver smarter, faster, and better than ever.