Future Trends in Delivery Management Software

Introduction

The eCommerce outlook for B2C and B2B in 2025 has a promising note. Projections for B2C revenue growth is $5.5 trillion by 2027 and B2B expansion to $36 trillion USD by 2026. The logistics landscape has also grown immensely during this time frame. A solid delivery performance has played a huge role in meeting customer expectations which has contributed greatly to this growth.

Amidst this positive eCommerce development, India is poised to take the centre-stage along with 19 other influential market economies. The growth trajectory of 2025 is expected to drive a surge in orders, particularly during shopping events starting with January sales. This maintains the importance of managing delivery to fuel continuous brand growth. 

In this article, we delve into the trends that will determine delivery management in 2025, and what you can expect in terms of technology adoption. 

Key Developments Shaping eCommerce Delivery in 2025

The fundamental concept of eCommerce logistics in 2025 is to embrace agility, especially in keeping pace with the evolving technological landscape. The top goal of major eCommerce brands remains the overall reduction of customer acquisition costs along with meeting the rising demand. To achieve this objective, 50% of them are prioritizing investing in shipping and fulfillment tools, besides investing heavily in business intelligence and customer service. 

Delivery continues to play an important role in eCommerce, not only to retain customers but also as an integral component of a company’s growth strategy. 2025 brings with it past year’s challenges including labor shortages, steep shipping costs, and mounting pressure from consumers for free and fast delivery. To keep up, the logistics sector and delivery management sector have been upping their game with predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, collaboration tools, and robotic technology like self driving vehicles.

However, the major focus for shippers and carriers in 2025 is to remain resilient to supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions. The antidote to many of these delivery complexities involve technological advancements, opting for regional carriers, autonomous vehicles, and multimodality. And a primary solution incorporating these solutions is a delivery management software. These help e commerce platforms to forecast demand, track delivery preferences, receive up to date information via data analytics, and ensure streamlined operations.

Take A Leap Into the Future- Top Trends in Delivery Management Software

Here are the top 7 trends that delivery management software solutions have embraced and scaled in this new year: 

1. Generative AI Enhancing Operational Efficiency

According to McKinsey’s Power Forward report on next-generation eCommerce, generative AI has become integrated with the core capabilities of eCommerce. This includes internal and external processes like R&D, logistics, marketing, and warehousing. It also has revamped many aspects of delivery management with the objective to make deliveries more dynamic and tech-driven.

However, its best use case is that of increasing operational efficiency by creating a delivery network design considering factors like warehouse locations and transport hubs. Its potential to summarize large volumes to data at breakneck speed lends it as a pivotal tool to analyze service-level agreements, shipping costs, tariffs, to determine consistency in services and accuracy. 

2. Dynamic Route Optimization for Faster Deliveries

Though humans remain in the planning loop for routes, the ever-growing density of urban logistics makes it imperative to rope in intelligent automation tools. The latest development is incorporating AI to micro-manage delivery routes for the last-mile to the last few feet before handover to the customer. 

The need of the hour is to have dynamic route planning, i.e., finding the most cost-effective routes that adjust to real-time variables involving multiple stops. Its capacity to retrieve relevant information from real-time data updates help optimize the last-mile challenges. This includes enabling drivers to locate the best parking spots for faster maneuverability, reduce empty miles, and reroute deliveries based on time sensitivity.

3. Quick Commerce Shaping Last-Mile Deliveries

One of the defining features of eCommerce this year is the uninterrupted rise of quick deliveries, signalling a greater fusion of the physical and the digital worlds. The rise of dark stores, micro fulfillment hubs, coupled with the rise of leading logistics players in the space has made faster deliveries a reality for everyone. 

Consumers all over the world are tapping into the convenience of rapid deliveries. A report by Deloitte highlights the possibility that 64% of orders are poised to be delivered the next-day or the same-day, sometimes within a span of 20 minutes. 

In this evolution of speed, technology plays a critical role, and delivery management comes into focus. Retailers are gearing up to creating a system to share data and collaborate in the logistics system to fulfill quick commerce orders. The delivery management software becomes the connector among warehouse, delivery service providers, retailers, and consumers. 

4. Easier Access to Real-Time Tracking for Customers and Businesses

The vitality of every supply chain depends, inter alia, on traceability and tracking. eCommerce companies are taking note of real-time tracking as essential to monitor logistics performance including order fulfillment and transportation. A blend of automation, IoT, big data, blockchain, and API integrations with carriers combats delivery blindsights and frauds. Even in tracking, AI has become ubiquitous. 

According to Deloitte's findings, 46% of its supply chain leaders are considering heavily investing in AI to increase end-to-end visibility. Delivery management software such as ClickPost also harnesses these technologies to set up a control tower that monitors shipment movements in real-time. Retailers having an integrated visibility gains from lowered WISMO calls and customer satisfaction by incorporating this data on a personalized tracking portal.

5. Cost Reduction Taking Center Stage

When a third of all logistics costs incurred by eCommerce merchants are owed to last-mile deliveries, it’s no wonder that companies are rushing towards reducing shipping costs. eCommerce giants like Amazon and Target are responding to increasing last-mile challenges and associated costs either by collecting a delivery fee or shipping orders from the nearest retail stores.

Since consumer demand for free deliveries holds constant, the solution to reduce shipping costs requires more innovative strategies. Two of these solutions are demand forecasting and crowdsourced delivery. They address the problem from its root cause in distinct ways. 

The former optimizes inventory placement based on customer demand ensuring inventory is stocked in the right locations. The latter lowers delivery costs by using contracted couriers that often fulfill orders from stores as opposed to distribution centers. 

6. Performance-Oriented Carrier Allocation for Higher Delivery Efficiency

Many retailers are increasingly understanding the importance of selecting the right carrier for every individual shipment to minimize issues such as failed deliveries. This concern extends to challenges like orders being returned to the origin due to customers cancellations during transit or repeated failed delivery attempts. 

According to a GoKwick study, online businesses face 20% to 40% RTOs. To address this, retailers are equipping themselves with tools to identify optimal carriers for deliveries. Access to delivery data and metrics like on-time delivery, proof of delivery, and RTO history, makes informed decision making easier. 

By integrating these insights with intelligent ML-led algorithms and allocating shipments to the right carriers, increase the chances of successful delivery rates.

7. Increased Focus on Sustainability and Autonomous Deliveries

Sustainability continues to be one of the most important considerations for both shippers and carriers. There is an increasing drive to contain carbon emissions, promote low-emission fuels, and popularize electric vehicles for commercial mobility. Green practices persists still with customers attracted to environmentally and ethically procured products. 

Similarly, they are more receptive towards carbon-neutral deliveries. According to a DHL report, 94% of millennials and 93% of Gen Z are mindful of sustainability during shopping. As such, many businesses and logistics leaders are dedicated to tracking sustainability and measuring their carbon footprints. AI will further bolster this evaluation by making reporting simpler. 

Secure Your Logistics with ClickPost: Revolutionizing Delivery for Tomorrow

Diversifying supply chains and investing in elevating customer experience remain prominent in businesses' quest to scale this year. However, when it comes to mitigating risks in the delivery system, a one-stop solution like ClickPost is the key to resilience and agility. 

As a cloud-based delivery management platform, ClickPost is integrated with 500+ carriers, consisting of local, regional, and global logistics providers. With ClickPost, retailers have a consolidated platform for managing every aspect of delivery. Here’s a brief overview:

Conclusion

While trends may change and projections shift, technology continues to develop at a rapid pace and consumers’ demand unceasingly changes. Therefore, retailers must integrate with systems with advanced technology that are responsive to changes but remain steady with the brand’s mission of resilient growth.