Think about your last e-commerce purchase experience. What’s one of the first things you think of? If you said the delivery of the product, you’re not alone.

Regardless of the experience of the actual purchase, the perception of the business — rightly, or wrongly — is often shaped by the circumstances surrounding the delivery.

We intend this blog to be a resource for direct selling and e-commerce businesses trying to overcome last-mile delivery and shipping challenges. We want to keep you informed about the latest news and trends in your industries, particularly when it comes to last-mile challenges and customer pick-up centers. This is the second part of a two-part series recounting our most popular blog posts covering these topics. See part one here. 

It’s important to us that we keep you informed about the latest trends in your industry, specifically last-mile challenges and customer pick-up centers. In case you missed them the first time around, here is a summary of our most popular posts thus far.

Local pick-up: It’s all about Amazon.

Lines are blurring between online giants and traditional retail stores.

• In June 2017, Amazon announced that it would pay $13.7 billion for Whole Foods, and Walmart announced that it would spend $310 million to acquire Bonobos, a brick-and-mortar men’s fashion brand.

Within any industry, there are issues that arise from time to time, and some issues that may arise more frequently. Direct sellers are not immune to these sorts of problems.

But like any successful enterprise, they look for ways to adapt. So, what are some common pain points direct selling organizations and their distributors face, and how can they overcome them?

Herbalife Nutrition is a $4.5 billion global nutrition company with more than 8,000 employees around the world. It relies on a network of dedicated independent distributors in more than 90 countries to sell nutrition, weight-management, energy and fitness, and personal-care products. So how can Herbalife best support its independent distributors, getting them fast-moving products when they need them without creating an inventory burden?

The answer is local sales centers.

The purchase process is quickly becoming a completely digital experience, with buyers and sellers all but eliminating human interaction. Almost everything can be done online. But is this what consumers want: no in-person customer service when purchasing a product?

Shipping: it’s the blessing and the curse of every e-commerce business. E-commerce is the fastest growing segment of the retail economy, and direct shipping to customers is the grease that keeps it moving. But that “last mile” of delivery — from a distribution point to your customers’ hands — can be especially challenging.

Were you aware that it’s possible to contribute to a traffic jam just by shopping online? It sounds far-fetched, but it’s much more likely than you think.

Fast and free shipping: every e-commerce customer wants it. Unfortunately, this sort of service isn’t always feasible. Trying to keep up with the Amazons of the world can put a dent in a business’ bottom line — and sometimes it can even cause a business to fold.