Watch-on-Demand: How the Right Final-Mile Carrier Can Make or Break a Brand’s Profitability

E-commerce and retail leaders have been asking themselves two questions:  

• Where are we losing margin?
• Where can we realistically recover it? 

The questions have led many brands to review sourcing strategies, inventory placement, marketing spend and even packaging. Another area that’s receiving more scrutiny: last-mile delivery. 

For a long time, the last mile was treated as a fixed cost, managed through annual negotiations with large, legacy carriers. But those agreements often come with little real control: rates can rise with minimal notice and you’re left with limited flexibility. 

Now, the hidden costs are becoming harder to ignore. Failed deliveries, repeat attempts, customer service escalations, missed promises and the gradual erosion of customer trust are forcing e-commerce and retail leaders to ask a different question: 

• How does last-mile delivery affect our total profitability? 

This question is changing how last-mile delivery partners are evaluated. The right last-mile partner doesn’t simply move packages from point A to point B; they’re responsible for first-attempt delivery success, how often customers contact your support team and keeping the delivery promises that brands set at checkout. They also play a vital role in whether a customer becomes a repeat shopper. 

Put simply, last-mile delivery isn’t just an operational concern; it’s a key driver of margin performance. 

The watch-on-demand webinar “How the Right Final-Mile Carrier Can Make or Break a Brand’s Profitability,” presented by Supply Chain Brain, features Sheila Berry, CRO at UniUni, and Brennen McMullin, CFO at QuickBox Fulfillment.  

Key insights include: 

1. Where hidden cost drains most often occur in the last mile. Tip: when you compare apples to oranges, you’re trying to make a value decision, not a cost decision. 

2. Why second- and third-delivery attempts cost more. Hint: they push shipments into an exception workflow that increases operational costs. 

3. Which metrics matter most once a last-mile partner is live. Hint: focus on early hand-off speed and scan visibility throughout the journey. (Watch the webinar: the panelists reveal why).

The audience’s questions were insightful, prompting the panellists to share even more. These questions included: 

• If we’re currently working with a national carrier, what are the most reliable signs that we should move to a specialized partner? 
• What differentiators can last-mile carriers provide beyond cost and reliability? 
• What is the most common reason brands switch to UniUni? 
• What is the link between successfully meeting a delivery promise and repeat purchase behavior? Which brands are getting it right? 
• What can go wrong during the switch? How do best-in-class brands protect customer experience while making the change? 

Don’t miss this 45-minute conversation that offers takeaways for e-commerce and retail leaders to improve a brand’s delivery performance, strengthen customer experience and optimize costs.

Reach out to learn more about UniUni’s last-mile delivery offerings.