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Supply chain efficiency has come a long way in recent years, and a variety of emerging technologies are continuing to push the field forward. Companies now have more tools than ever before to further optimize their delivery services, which suggests that the international supply chain has a promising future.
That said, last-mile delivery costs still represent more than half of all shipping costs and happens to be one of the areas in which innovation is needed. Drones are emerging as not only a cutting-edge shipping solution that can cut down on shipping costs but also as an alternative that can have a positive impact on our environmental footprint.
What Makes Drones Valuable?
At one time, drones were a relatively niche product intended for mostly personal users, but the number of commercial drones is expected to increase roughly tenfold between 2016 and 2021. As the technology involved becomes more affordable and more fully featured drones become widely available, businesses are taking a closer look at the impact drones could have.
In fact, many large and small companies have already started testing drones and looking for ways to implement them into their shipping practices. Major businesses involved in logistics, such as Walmart, DHL, Amazon, and UPS, are examining delivery drones for testing, and Amazon already has plans to use drones as a common delivery method.
Drones can help businesses make substantial cuts to the fuel and labour costs associated with last-mile delivery while further decreasing delivery times for most products. They also use less energy than delivery trucks and other vehicles, making them a great option for businesses looking to demonstrate their environmental consciousness.
Barriers to Growth
Drones are an extremely promising emerging technology for logistics businesses worldwide. Imagine that your company is based in the United Kingdom. Drones could help to cut down on delivery costs across the whole of the country. Further, working with an iPhone or Android app development company in London, for example, could help you make this delivery option accessible to customers located in even the most remote of locations.
However, drones have a long way to go before displacing conventional shipping methods. The public, for one, is often sceptical of new technologies, and even more so at a time when user security and privacy is a significant concern.
Regulations surrounding drone testing, especially in China and the United States, also threaten to slow down development and implementation in these regions. These will likely become more accommodating over time as businesses demonstrate the reliability and safety of delivery drones.
The idea of using drones to deliver common items like groceries and food may sound like something out of science fiction, but the truth is that this is much closer to reality than many people assume. It may only be a few years before delivery drones become the most effective shipping solution.
