Urban logistics concerns the flow of goods in dense urban areas: their transport by land, their delivery to the final destination as well as the management of return flows. This, through its rise in power, must respond to many issues.

• Urban space is seeing its traffic increasingly congested. Indeed, the urban population density as well as the number of vehicles continues to grow and the sharing of roads for the benefit of new mobility reinforces this phenomenon,
  • According to the study “ The future of the last-mile ecosystem » carried out in 2020, it is estimated that, if nothing is put in place to modernize and streamline urban logistics, the number of vehicles in the top 100 world cities will increase by 36% within 10 years.
• Sound pollution is also a growing problem in built-up areas, and is also caused by traffic density and noise from means of transport.
• Then, we observe a rather complex parking for delivery people who stop “only where they can” and are therefore obliged to make their deliveries very quickly. The risks of “botched” deliveries are increased and the customer experience can be weakened.
• Traditional means of transport used by professionals have a particularly high carbon footprint and therefore do not answer to societal demands for environmental preservation, and to the growing convictions of consumers.
• Customer requirements evolve in terms of delivery, cost and deadlines. Please note that excessively long delivery times are one of the main reasons for shopping cart abandonment on e-commerce sites. Carriers must therefore integrate this need into their strategy.
• Finally, delivery in urban areas is very expensive. Indeed the last mile is the most expensive. By getting closer to its final recipient, the unit transport cost increases. It is estimated at 25% on average of total logistics chain costs.

What are the alternatives for city delivery?

To differentiate themselves from the many players on the market, companies must analyze and define a strong strategy for the transport and delivery functions.

These operational aspects have become a fundamental issue in business strategy, and represent an important part of the value chain and the customer experience. To answer the problems of urban logistics, it is necessary to find new modes of transport adapted to your products and your customers. Modes of transportation are developing.

Delivery men on cargo bikes

If delivery by bicycle is common today, the development of cargo bike delivery people (otherwise called “cargo cycles”) is booming and makes it possible to limit the circulation of trucks by delivering heavy loads. The cargo bike is therefore gradually becoming established in cities (even if the carrying weight is limited to 140 kg on average), presenting itself as the ideal solution to solve the “last mile” puzzle in urban areas.

No warning, no double-line, and never late: As wide as a normal bike, the cargo bike fits everywhere, without the risk of getting stuck in traffic, or blocking an entire street during delivery.

Soft delivery is a tool promoting local purchases, between businesses or traders to individuals and is socially responsible because jobs are created in the local economic fabric.

The advantages are numerous

• Reducing your overall costs compared to a motorized vehicle,
• Improving delivery times thanks to avoiding traffic jams,
• A reduction in the net ecological footprint, which is also very visible to the customer.

Carriers to low-emission fleets

Pushed by the State but especially by consumers, certain operators have started to integrate vehicles into their fleet that run on green or renewable energy (natural gas for vehicles or biogas, hybrid or electric).

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