Locus launches new system for optimizing e-commerce delivery schedules

Locus, a technology company developing solutions for last-mile logistics (not to be confused with Locus Robotics), has launched its Delivery Linked Checkout, a “first-of-its-kind” integrated capability that enables retail businesses to achieve profitability in their last-mile logistics.

By deploying this new feature, retailers can deliver orders on customer-preferred timelines while maintaining optimal capacity and service efficiencies.

The surge in e-commerce deliveries, coupled with the heightened customer expectations for more efficient and predictable delivery options, has added yet another layer to last-mile complexities.

Locus’ Delivery Linked Checkout feature is a strategic enhancement to its Dispatch Management Platform specifically designed to help retailers unlock new fulfillment capabilities and meet increasing demands quickly.

Its key features include:

• Optimizing deliveries via capacity-led slot bookings: The feature accounts for available capacity, logistics costs, and business constraints, identifying and offering only the available slots upon checkout for end-consumers. This powers first-attempt and on-time delivery rates.
• Multiple delivery window options: By providing a wide range of preferred delivery options across 10-minute, express, 2-hour, same-day, or next-day fulfillment, retailers can satisfy customer expectations and capture a broader set of shopper segments. The feature also incentivizes customer loyalty by unlocking preferred delivery windows for high-value customers.
• Customer-friendly post-fulfillment journey: It allows customers to choose alternate dates and times for shipment delivery even after order dispatch. It also enables them to cancel an order via the tracking page, resulting in a positive customer experience.
• Route optimization: The feature creates precise delivery schedules by factoring in customer availability, clustering deliveries, and reverse shipments from the same service areas to limit the instances of reattempts and failed deliveries; this helps offset carbon emissions, reduce empty miles, and ensure optimal load capacity. It also gives customers options to choose sustainable delivery time slots that facilitate more carbon-efficient route plans.

Nishith Rastogi, founder and CEO of Locus, says: “A single bad delivery can completely make or break a consumer’s perception of a brand.

“But everything from limited fulfillment capacity, to inefficient route planning, and disconnected systems managing Last-Mile operations continue to put retailers at risk of failed execution.

“To solidify fulfillment as an impactful point of differentiation, a driver of brand loyalty, and a growth enabler, retailers need to directly connect their logistics operations with the customer experience.

“Locus’ Delivery Linked Checkout, in combination with our Dispatch Management Platform, offers a unique proposition for retailers to secure profitability while enhancing customer satisfaction.”