As the dust settles on another busy holiday shopping season, it’s time to shift focus to supply chain priorities for the year ahead. 2025 is poised to bring new challenges and some old ones that you’ll need to double down on. From increased demand for more delivery options to the impact of freight market fluctuations, the landscape of last-mile delivery is growing increasingly intricate.
Here are four key challenges supply chain leaders must address to stay competitive in 2025.
1. Rising Consumer Demand for Delivery Options at Checkout
This trend is nothing new, but it’s also not something to ignore. When it’s time to check out, online shoppers will be looking for more options than ever, not just in terms of delivery speed but also specific information about their delivery dates.
As recently as 2021, the share of consumers expecting same-day online order delivery ranged from 9% to 30%, depending on the product category. Just two short years later, that number skyrocketed. By 2023, two-thirds of global shoppers expected their items to arrive within 24 hours, and 40% anticipated delivery in two hours or less.
For those shoppers willing to wait more than a day for their items to arrive, savvy senders are turning from “shipping speed” language at checkout to referencing “estimated delivery date” (EDD) instead. Apparently, 75% of shoppers report that seeing an EDD validated their purchasing decision. With only 4 in 10 e-commerce sites using EDDs, there’s a gap to fill that could drive more conversions in 2025.
2. Growing Expectations for Free Same-Day Delivery
Consumers don’t just want their items fast — they want them fast for free. The “Amazon effect” continues to shape consumer expectations and is likely a major driver behind the two-thirds of shoppers expecting same-day delivery. For 2025, retailers’ goals will be to meet this demand without eroding profit margins.
Offering fast delivery for free or at an affordable rate is a careful balancing act between cost and speed — something that the RoadieXD™ network of cross-docks can help you achieve. It enables fast, reliable same-day delivery at predictable cost-per-delivery rates that are easy to combine with free shipping thresholds, pricing modifications, and other tactics to keep your business competitive.
3. Shifting Expectations in Big & Bulky Delivery
According to a report from Roadie, one thing that online shoppers are willing to pay for is big and bulky deliveries. From furniture to appliances, having oversized items brought straight to your doorstep is far more preferable than trying to lug large items from store to home. Unfortunately, traditional carriers don’t always feel the same way. Roadie found that more than a third of businesses (36.7%) restrict delivery on oversized items.
Fortunately, 2025 will be the year retailers find their way around this logistics obstacle. Cross-docking is gaining attention as a supply chain strategy that maintains speedy delivery timelines without adding to handling or warehousing costs. Roadie leverages all the benefits of a nationwide last-mile delivery network, so even oversized orders arrive ultrafast.
4. A Recovering Freight Market & Rising Freight Rates
The freight market faced a number of challenges in 2024, including a dockworker strike, port congestion, rerouted vessels and dangerous international waters. Some of these challenges could continue into 2025, and some that are alleviating might not be good news for senders.
The dockworker strike in October 2024 lasted three days before the International Longshoremen’s Association and U.S. Maritime Alliance called a truce, but discussions over wages and other issues are set to resume in mid-January. Depending on the results, another possible strike could hold inventory hostage and threaten the delivery timelines e-commerce businesses hold so dear.
In the meantime, industry experts have said the “Great Freight Recession” is over, which also puts pressure on retailers. With a better flow of goods, freight operators will ease off of low rates many customers have gotten used to. As freight rates begin to rise again, businesses must either absorb the higher costs or pass them onto customers by increasing the cost of goods.
Get Ready to Tackle 2025
Last-mile delivery in 2025 is shaping up to be a challenge, but it’s also full of opportunities for businesses ready to adapt and innovate. Whether you do that by giving shoppers the delivery options they want, managing costs with smart logistics plans, or cracking the code on big and bulky delivery, staying flexible and creative will be key.
The good news? You don’t have to go it alone. With the right logistics strategies like cross-docking and on-demand oversized delivery, you can set up your business to have an ultra-successful 2025 with ultrafast delivery. Reach out today to get started.