Optimize your first and last mile logistics with FTM’s smart Transportation Management System (TMS). Reduce shipping costs, improve on-time delivery, and delight your customers with real-time visibility across the supply chain.
Why First and Last Mile Logistics Are the Most Challenging
Retail logistics is evolving rapidly, and customers expect fast, transparent, and flexible delivery. The first mile (supplier → distribution center) and last mile (DC → customer) are the most complex, costly, and critical touchpoints in the supply chain.
1. High Cost Concentration
The last mile alone can account for over 50% of total delivery costs. Fragmented first-mile operations, multiple vendors, and LTL carriers can quickly erode profit margins.
2. Lack of Real-Time Visibility
Shipments often disappear in transit without an integrated system. Blind spots mean delays, detention fees, and unhappy customers.
3. Customer Expectation Pressure
Two-day delivery is now the industry standard. Failing to meet these expectations risks reputation damage, SLA penalties, and customer churn.
How a Smart TMS Revolutionizes Retail Logistics
A smart TMS like FTM gives retailers full control over first and last mile operations.
Centralized Control & Visibility
Monitor inbound shipments, DC transfers, and last-mile deliveries in one dashboard. Identify delays, exceptions, or bottlenecks in real time—without juggling multiple systems.
Read more: How AI in Logistics Improves Efficiency
Proactive Exception Management
FTM alerts you to delays whether a supplier misses a pickup or a driver is stuck in traffic so your team can reroute, reschedule, or notify customers before problems escalate.
Dynamic Routing & Carrier Optimization
Real-time traffic, delivery deadlines, and capacity data allow optimized last-mile routes and smarter carrier assignments—reducing costs and boosting OTIF (On-Time, In-Full) rates.
Seamless Supplier Collaboration
Suppliers update milestones (“Loaded,” “Departed,” “Delivered”) with a mobile click, closing visibility gaps in the first mile even for low-tech partners.
Using Smart TMS to Unlock Retail Efficiency
FTM integrates with freight boards, parcel carriers, and visibility platforms, so all shipment data flows into one timeline. Your team no longer jumps between systems to track orders, check rates, or manage exceptions saving time and reducing errors.
Read more: TMS Freight Visibility: Enhance Shipment & Carrier Transparency
Key Metrics Retailers Should Track
FTM allows tracking of KPIs that define success in first and last mile logistics:
- OTIF (On-Time, In-Full) Rates for inbound and outbound shipments
- First Mile Dwell Times to identify chronic supplier or carrier delays
- Last Mile Cost per Delivery for density optimization and cost control
- Exception Resolution Times for faster problem solving
Read more: Struggling with OTIF? How to Hit On-Time, In-Full Deliveries Every Time
The Real-World Gap: Why First & Last Mile Break Down in Retail
Even with solid planning, retailers lose time and money in places that don’t show up on spreadsheets. Most first and last mile failures come from operational friction, the small, everyday breakdowns that compound into delays.
Retailers consistently face challenges like:
- Suppliers missing pickup windows because there’s no automated reminder system
- Carriers failing to update milestones, leaving teams blind until customers complain
- DC bottlenecks that come from poor appointment spacing
- Drivers improvising routes when traffic spikes or stops aren’t properly sequenced
- Disconnected tools forcing coordinators to stitch together ETAs from multiple portals
These issues aren’t dramatic, but they kill OTIF performance.
Retail teams don’t need more dashboards. They need a system that fills the visibility gaps, handles the boring-but-critical tasks automatically, and gives them the confidence that shipments won’t fall through cracks.
This is exactly where a smart TMS becomes the backbone of first and last mile execution.
Actionable Retail Logistics Tactics Today
| Action Step | Impact on First & Last Mile |
|---|---|
| Automate inbound appointment scheduling | Reduces supplier delays & DC congestion |
| Use predictive ETA tracking | Improves delivery promise accuracy |
| Deploy exception alerts | Prevents detention fees & complaints |
| Share dashboards with carriers | Improves collaboration & accountability |
| Optimize last-mile routing | Cuts costs & boosts on-time delivery |
How FTM Accelerates First & Last Mile Performance
FTM strengthens retail logistics by unifying inbound, outbound, and last-mile workflows into one connected timeline. Instead of juggling carrier portals, supplier emails, and delivery apps, retail teams manage every milestone from a single dashboard built for speed and accuracy. FTM’s AI-assisted visibility engine highlights delays before they escalate, whether a supplier misses an appointment, a DC transfer is running late, or a last-mile driver is off-route. This lets your team take action in real time, not after a customer complains.
With FTM, retailers can:
- Coordinate first-mile suppliers with automated appointment scheduling
- Improve last-mile performance with optimized routing and carrier scoring
- Eliminate blind spots using predictive ETAs and live exception alerts
- Share branded tracking pages to boost customer satisfaction
- Reduce operational workload by centralizing all shipment data
FTM gives retailers a smarter, calmer, more predictable first and last mile, turning complex fulfillment into a streamlined, customer-ready operation.
Win Retail Logistics with Smart TMS
The first and last mile are where customer satisfaction is won or lost. With FTM’s smart TMS, retailers can turn reactive problem-solving into proactive orchestration, improving visibility, OTIF rates, and cost efficiency.
Ready to take control of your retail supply chain?
Book Your Free Demo
