The pandemic has pushed European delivery companies to innovate, according to research from mobile computer developers Scandit.

The Scandit research shows that European delivery companies have invested in pick-up/drop-off (PUDO) points (20.6%), new services (14.3%) and new innovations. This contrasts with their North American counterparts where just 5.9% focused on new offerings, focusing instead on meeting new demands. European companies are more likely to invest in augmented reality or in the future (69.2%) than those in North America (58.8%).

The research involved interviews with 118 senior decision makers from the world’’s largest postal and logistics providers. It found that those firms that use smartphones in last mile deliveries were more innovation focused, adding an advantage to meet increased customer expectations.

Within Europe, Eastern European and Nordics based carriers are more focused on adding new apps and features (43.8%) and technologies supporting new services such as PUDO (18.8%). Western Europe and Great Britain companies were more balanced in their technology investment plans. Some 37% invested in delivery app enhancements, while 18.5% offered new services, and 25.9% focused on contactless processes.

Samuel Mueller, CEO and co-founder at Scandit, said, “While Covid-19 and supply chain issues across Europe have created new challenges for last-mile delivery, it has also accelerated solutions that were long in the pipeline – for example, a heavier reliance on smartphone use and BYOD. Especially interesting, however, are the varying priorities across Europe, but it’s positive to see that these are being recognised and investments made accordingly. It signifies that logistics companies clearly see the impact that issues in the last mile can have on customers and how essential it is to address them today and into the future.”