The challenges of BtoB delivery in 2025

Overall, companies in this sector display a structured organization in their last-mile management. While a majority perceive themselves as ahead of or on par with their competitors, the still-limited adoption rate of supply chain technology solutions (33%) nevertheless suggests real potential for improvement in terms of digitalization. They place customer satisfaction, cost reduction, and reducing environmental impact at the heart of their strategy. To achieve these objectives, they rely on digitalization and advanced technological solutions that enable them to improve both their efficiency and service quality.

The main lessons

• In 41% of companies, it is the supply chain management that is most involved in managing the last mile.
• 85% use external service providers (including 62% in addition to an internal fleet)
• Carrier selection criteria: cost (61%), delivery times (60%), reliability (59%), environmental impact (32%), technology and real-time tracking (29%)
• The priority challenges are customer satisfaction (57%), cost optimization (46%), speed of delivery (46%), compliance with delivery slots (40%), environmental impact (34%).
• In terms of customer experience, 62% offer delivery by appointment, 59% delivery to the workplace or construction site, 54% delivery to a customer depot or warehouse.
• On the digitalization front, 39% have already implemented digital initiatives and 38% plan to do so. 56% already use dedicated technological solutions, 73% use or plan to use AI / machine learning to optimize flows and 44% consider themselves ahead of the digitalization curve.
• In terms of CSR, 34% have already implemented an ecological approach and 38% plan to do so. Their main actions: grouped deliveries (51%), electric/hybrid vehicles (49%), and the use of AI to optimize journeys (45%).
• In the future, 89% want to accelerate cost optimization, 87% want to improve service quality, 83% want to reduce environmental impact, 54% plan to work on improving real-time information, 47% want to diversify delivery options and 42% want to simplify returns.

Mature companies in last-mile delivery management, with a strong focus on cost optimization

B200B distribution and trading companies with more than 41 employees demonstrate a certain maturity in last-mile delivery. In the majority of cases (26%), the definition and management of this strategy are handled by operational departments, such as supply chain. Less frequently, general management (15%) or strategy and digital transformation departments (44%) are the leaders. This organization reflects a structured approach, with 42% of companies considering themselves on par with their competitors and XNUMX% even believing they are ahead.

When it comes to delivery management, 85% of companies use external service providers, either in addition to their internal fleet (62%) or exclusively (23%). They also perceive the identification (78%) and management (73%) of carriers as relatively simple tasks. However, a small drawback is that companies with many points of sale (and therefore greater complexity) are more likely to consider management to be complicated (54%).

The most important criteria for selecting transport partners are cost (61%), delivery times (60%), and reliability (59%). Cost optimization remains a priority: 89% of companies want to improve their deliveries by working on this aspect, and 46% consider cost reduction to be a major challenge.

Customer satisfaction, a central issue in last-mile delivery

While costs are a key issue, customer satisfaction remains the top priority for 57% of businesses. With this in mind, 87% of them want to improve the performance and quality of their delivery service. To meet customer expectations, they offer an average of 4,7 delivery options, including delivery by appointment (62%), to the workplace or construction site (59%), or to a customer depot or warehouse (54%).

Furthermore, 86% of companies measure or plan to measure customer satisfaction with the delivery experience, a trend that is even more pronounced among large companies (96%). To assess their effectiveness, they mainly rely on indicators such as on-time delivery (59%) and complaint resolution rate (51%).

A growing commitment to reducing the environmental impact of deliveries

Although only 22% of companies use the carbon footprint of deliveries as a performance indicator, 39% include it as a priority. Furthermore, 87% of companies have already implemented or plan to implement measures to reduce the environmental impact of their last-mile deliveries.

This concern is particularly strong among large companies (96%), which say they are well prepared to meet the new regulations in this area. Moreover, 61% of them offer eco-responsible delivery.

To reduce their carbon footprint, companies are prioritizing initiatives such as optimizing group deliveries to limit journeys (51%) and adopting electric or hybrid vehicles (49%). These initiatives are primarily motivated by CSR commitments (74%) and internal company values ​​(64%).

Digitalization, a strategic lever for optimizing deliveries

To improve profitability, customer satisfaction, and environmental impact, B39B distribution and trading companies are focusing on digitizing their delivery operations. While initiatives to digitize delivery operations have yet to be widely adopted, momentum is building: 57% of companies surveyed have already implemented them (as have 38% of large companies), while the same proportion (XNUMX%) plan to do so in the medium term.

Supply chain technology solutions (TMS, DMS, WMS or OMS) still have a relatively low penetration rate, being deployed at best in only 33% of the companies surveyed.

Conversely, artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly being adopted, with 73% of businesses reporting they are using or planning to use them, a rate that rises to 81% among those with more than 50 points of sale.

For Paul Klebinder, Managing Director of Woop: "The study highlights three key priorities for B2B distributors: accelerating their digitalization, ensuring reliable delivery, and integrating sustainable practices. While large companies generally have the necessary maturity to make progress on these issues, SMEs and mid-caps must urgently catch up to remain competitive. Digitalization is no longer a choice but a necessity to automate and optimize logistics operations, in a context where customer expectations require transparency and flexibility. At the same time, environmental requirements, reinforced by strict regulations, are transforming eco-responsible approaches into levers for strategic differentiation."

Methodology : A study conducted by Woop from February 3 to 28, 2025, on a group of 100 trading and office equipment/supplies companies with at least 200 employees. The data for this barometer were collected through an online survey (CAWI).

Woop 2025 Last Mile Delivery Barometer.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.