While we may think that remotely piloted aircraft technology is a thing of the future, it is, in fact, right here, right now, and set to become a massive part of many industries. One industry that will possibly benefit most from drone technology is E-commerce.
It seems when it comes to that technology, everybody is getting on board. Over the last 18 months, 3000 deliveries have been made in Australian, and in Ghana, there have been some unmanned aircraft working hard delivering medical supplies to over 2000 health facilities.
Recently, the U.S Federal Aviation Administration granted clearance for remotely piloted aircraft similar to those mentioned above to fly in the United States. So it may not be long before the entire E-commerce industry is revolutionized.
What Is Drone Delivery?
Whenever we think of delivery, we often think of the mailman or the pizza delivery guy, but why does delivery have to arrive via a car or bike?
Over the years, unmanned aircraft have had many applications to many different industries, most notably the military. Nowadays, this technology is far more than that, many companies are preparing to start delivering by air to get your packages to you quickly and safely.
Unmanned aircraft delivery is set to become a popular idea among the E-commerce industry; this will reduce delivery costs and also enable them to have a greener and more eco-friendly future.
Another advantage of this high-end technology is the reduction of mistakes. Providing the packages are packaged correctly and adorned with a quality label like the one offered at enKoProducts; this reduces the number of parcels that can be lost in transit.
Pros
- Drone delivery will reduce the number of emissions and altogether lower the carbon footprint. There is a lot of talks when it comes to the development of this technology at the moment.
There is a current construction of charging points on cell towers and street-lights, and there is even talk of partnerships with trucking companies. These partnerships would involve the “hitching a ride” where possible.
- It is thought that introducing unmanned aircraft to the e-commerce industry will vastly reduce the amount of traffic on the roads. The introduction of this technology could also give the sector the much-needed control its logistics, rather than rely on third parties.
- One of the most positive things to note about drone deliveries is the opportunity for instant shopping. Companies like Amazon are looking to promise a 30 minute delivery time on your orders, so this could reduce the need to hit a brick and mortar shop completely.
- Drones will also help exponentially with warehousing. The arrangement, selection, and order picking process will become far more streamlined.
Cons
- Sound pollution has been an issue that has been raised more than most. Unfortunately, one thing that drones probably won’t be, and that is quiet. Remotely piloted aircraft like these will require a substantial sized motor to be able to carry most deliveries, and the larger the motor, the louder the sound.
- No-fly zones are also posing some issues at the moment, but the great news is that changes are being made. There will need to be a ton of new regulations and laws put in place for the introduction of unmanned aircraft too.
This Is Only The Start
While Amazon is setting the tone for unmanned aircraft delivery and hopes to push out around 80% of its deliveries via drone in the very near future, there are so many other companies waiting to take off too.
The entire retail industry is changing and moving forward into the age of technology.
Conclusion
Overall, I think we can see that this technology will help the e-commerce industry thrive even more than it ever has. remotely piloted aircraft are already in use in some warehouse now and are showing their true worth.
Drones are picking parcels via a scanner and a staffed system. This system generally works by employing high-quality labeling from companies like Enkoproducts and having a zebra based scanning system attached to it.
Technologies like this are removing the need for forklift trucks, thus making the warehouse environment overall a safer place to work.
Many e-commerce companies have also been suffering over the years due to a lack of control over their logistics. E-commerce companies are generally tightly controlled by an order management process.
The order management process is everything from order to delivery. Of course, delivery in e-commerce has generally been contracted out and cost businesses thousands over the years. Introducing trackable unmanned aircraft, however, will enable everybody e-commerce to have control from start to finish.
