Early cut-off times, complexity of managing multiple carriers and extra resources cited as top pain points

A new report shows that 36.7% of retailers, e-tailers, and other businesses restrict the delivery of big and bulky items, even as the retail delivery market grows.¹ Nearly half of respondents say “oversized” describes more than 20% of what they sell, underscoring why high-quality, efficient last-mile delivery for those items is so crucial.

The research, published by Roadie, a UPS Company and a logistics management and same-day delivery platform, in partnership with studioID, explores the pain points, opportunities, and benefits of big and bulky delivery.

Nearly half (47%) of the surveyed businesses cited early cut-off times for oversized items as their primary logistical challenge, followed closely by the complexity of managing multiple carriers (45%), indicating a clear need for more flexible and responsive delivery solutions.

“As retail giants like Amazon continue to push the bar higher, customers expect the same high-quality delivery whether they order a tablet or a big-screen TV,” said Marc Gorlin, founder and CEO of Roadie. “Retailers that can offer faster, more reliable delivery for oversized items are not just solving a logistical problem – they’re expanding large-item revenue streams and building customer loyalty.”

The majority of respondents use a mix of delivery services to handle their big and bulky goods, whose early cutoffs and multi-day transit times can lead to cart abandonment. Slow delivery speed (49%) was the top reason for cart abandonment, followed closely by the lack of flexible delivery windows (45%), inability to have the item brought into the home (44%) and difficulty communicating with delivery providers.

In June, Roadie introduced RoadieXD™, a nationwide network of cross-docks, to enable retailers to offer same-day delivery for almost anything of any size. RoadieXD™ taps into the existing Roadie crowdsourced network of independent drivers to deliver up to 100 miles from each cross-dock, so companies can efficiently dispatch products from multiple locations, eliminate the need for extensive storage, accommodate later cut-off times and save on costs for traditionally expensive deliveries.

“Customers want delivery for big and bulky items just as much – if not more – than they want delivery for other items. Big item delivery is just hard. But offering delivery for oversized SKUs can make or break a sale,” added Gorlin. “We introduced RoadieXD™ to enable retailers to deliver a fast and satisfying same-day delivery experience straight from a distribution center. It also comes with minimal complexity for the retailer, and fewer opportunities for damages. Everybody wins.”

Companies that have outsourced pre-sorting, cross-docking and delivery of bulky goods have seen a 62% increase in productivity. They’re ahead of the curve – 56% of respondents anticipate such a benefit but have not yet partnered with a provider to bring it to fruition.

When working with an oversized delivery partner, respondents see a range of benefits, including:

• Increasing sales of oversized items (63%)
• Improving the oversized delivery experience for customers (57%)
• Increasing the efficiency of distribution and fulfillment centers (46%)
• Reducing damages and returns (39%)
• Reducing spend on oversized delivery (32%)

Read the full report on the survey’s findings.

¹ “Big & Bulky Done Better: Top challenges and how business are solving them” (https://www.roadie.com/resources/white-papers/22003.) Roadie, Aug. 21, 2024.

About Roadie

Roadie, a UPS Company, is a logistics management and crowdsourced delivery platform. Founded in 2014, Roadie offers businesses fast, flexible, and asset-light logistics solutions for last-mile delivery. Roadie enables local delivery to more than 97% of U.S. households by providing access to more than 200,000 independent drivers nationwide – allowing businesses to offer their customers delivery optionality for almost any industry, from airlines to artisans.

Roadie’s solutions include local same-day pickup and delivery, delivery from warehouses with in-house sortation, oversized delivery, sustainable delivery, returns, and more. For more information, visit www.roadie.com.

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