On November 7, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism published recommendations from a study group aimed at improving the efficiency of last-mile delivery.
The recommendations outline the direction of future measures from three perspectives: "further dissemination and penetration of diverse receiving methods and transformation of the delivery service model," "development of an environment for the sustainable provision of local logistics services," and "utilization of new transportation methods in local delivery and development as a next-generation industry."
In the section on "Further dissemination and penetration of diverse delivery methods and transformation of the delivery service," it is pointed out that while consumers can conveniently place delivery instructions at any time by utilizing the membership services of major delivery companies, these membership services are not yet sufficiently widespread. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage consumers to change their behavior and awareness to utilize diverse delivery methods.
Regarding the installation of delivery boxes in detached houses and apartment buildings, it is desirable to proceed while obtaining the understanding of owners of detached houses, unit owners of condominiums, owners of rental apartments, etc., and then have all parties involved work together to raise awareness and educate people about the proper use of delivery boxes, improve the functionality of delivery boxes through features such as visualization of usage status and notification functions when packages are delivered, and spread best practices to other locations.
In "Creating an Environment for the Sustainable Provision of Regional Logistics Services," it was explained that advanced logistics efficiency initiatives by delivery and retail businesses that support regional logistics services should be actively expanded across industries, including trunk line transportation up to the last mile, to promote collaboration and cooperation as regional infrastructure, utilizing the framework of the Logistics Efficiency Law.
In the section on "Utilization of new transportation methods in regional delivery and development as a next-generation industry," it states that in order to further commercialize drone delivery, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of drone operations and the profitability of the business by promoting the widespread use of simultaneous operation of multiple drones, where a small number of people operate many drones at the same time, and by developing delivery bases in cooperation with local governments.
The study group was established in June and has held five meetings until November, with members from diverse backgrounds, including experts, local delivery and retail service providers, e-commerce businesses, and distributors.
