First-mile consolidation is a great way for growing SMBs to simplify their shipping logistics. Tyler Abderholden, vice president of Sendle’s global network, explains what first-mile consolidation is and why it’s beneficial.

Generally, a multi-carrier shipping strategy involves coordinating multiple pickups at different times of the day. First-mile consolidation gives small businesses a way to reap the benefits of a multi-carrier approach without the headache of multiple pickups.

Tyler explains, “One driver will show up to your operation [and] pick up all of the packages, whether they're going to carrier A, carrier B, carrier C, carrier D, and so forth. … You have a single pickup. It comes at your preferred time of day.”

With first-mile consolidation, “you are managing a single touchpoint with a single provider.” By relying on a first-mile consolidator to get packages into the hands of the right carriers, merchants avoid shipping delays caused by missed pickups. And because consolidators access volume discounts, merchants save money too.

First-mile consolidation provides access to a variety of shipping speeds, allowing customers to choose what works best for them. Tyler and Lori point out that the next-day shipping trend has begun to decline, with more consumers willing to wait longer for their packages.

Tyler says, “Everything was moving to, how do we get to next day? And now everything has been, some things need to be next day and some things are okay to take a longer time. And that's great. Customers have that choice.”

• Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-abderholden-06a00920/
• Visit Sendle’s website: https://www.sendle.com/en-us