It is no secret: the urban distribution of goods is a great challenge for cities across Europe, and worldwide. Big capitals such as Copenhagen and London experience a 25% yearly growth of eCommerce operations, leaving the city roads congested and difficult to travel through. The environment is also suffering the effects of eCommerce, with growing toxic emissions launched daily to the ozone layer. Many delivery companies have attempted to fix this issue, with parcel pooling, recycled packaging, and similar tactics. However, 40% of traffic in the cities is still linked to eCommerce, and so are 20% of toxic emissions. So, can this problem actually be fixed? From Smart Point, experts in Carbon neutral smart deliveries and local commerce optimisation, we tell you our vision.
Why does eCommerce distribution generate so much urban congestion?
Even before the pandemic sped things up, online shopping has increasingly become a daily routine for most of us, generating a high-pressure demand environment for both online commerces and delivery companies.
As a consequence, daily, thousands of delivery vans access main European cities such as Copenhagen and Barcelona containing an average of 30-40 packages each. Generally, these vans are not operating at full capacity, rather, they operate on an on-demand basis, having empty spaces and resulting in several inefficient, poorly organised delivery routes.
- According to our Smart Point City experts’ latest studies, very door-to-door delivery takes an average of 4.5 mins, during which time the van is improperly parked, also disrupting traffic and delaying other couriers’ routes, which generates further disruption.
- In addition to that, ca. 20% of deliveries fail because the recipient is not at home, which ends up in extra inefficient trips, and so the loop of congestion and inefficiency goes on.
All of this not only has a negative impact on our environment and our well-being as citizens, but also affects local commerce. 3/4 of Europeans prefer to buy local but they don’t end up doing so for three reasons:
- The online shopping process is easier, faster and more comfortable.
- Parcel reception is easier, faster and more convenient than shopping on-site.
- Even when local shops have home delivery services, the delivery fees for them tend to be higher, and the shipping times longer.
How does Smart Point help solve these problems within European capitals?
A Smart Point is a multiservice delivery point that can be installed both in private buildings, and public spaces. In cities such as London, Copenhagen, Barcelona and Lisbon, Smart Points can be found in residential areas, as well as key commercial districts, for everyone in the city to use. his is what we do to decongest cities and reduce emissions:
- We group the packages of all courieurs and businesses in Smart Delivery hubs at the entrance of the city.
- From there, we carry out a circular delivery route with an electric vehicle 2 or 3 times a day to the several Smart Point points across the city
- With our system, we are able to deliver up to 30 packages in 45 seconds. Our electric vehicle can deliver 600 packages an hour, replacing 25 vans on the road.
Thanks to the efficiency of our smart Delivery route we manage to:
- Reduce up to 25% of delivery vans circulating across the city
- Generate minus 98% of CO2 emissions compared to traditional delivery methods
- Avoid failed deliveries, achieving a 95% user satisfaction, with 80% of our users using the service regularly
In terms of helping local commerce, the Smart Point logistics network standardizes the delivery process to all companies, online or local, at the same price. and with the same user experience:
- The end user has the same pick up experience at Smart Points, whether they are buying at big brands or at a local store.
- Local commerces can send their products via the Smart Point delivery network by €1 per shipment.
- Through the Smart Point phone app, the citizens can find every product from every local shop around the city.
