6 ways to make your last mile delivery more sustainable

The last two years have bought many changes to our lives and the world of ecommerce, it is unsurprising that the number of home deliveries have increased and are expected to continue to rise over the coming years.


However, at the same time, there in an increased awareness of environmental factors and a drive towards increasing sustainability across the ecommerce and logistics industries. There is no quick fix that will take your business to net zero, every step of the process needs individual attention and optimisation. Here we’ll have a look at five changes you can implement to optimise your logistics chain, for more sustainable last mile delivery.


1. Route optimisation


A longer route means more miles which means more fuel and more time spent on the road. More efficient route planning, for the best delivery routes between the warehouse and all drop off points can provide significant savings in mileage. This will not only save time and money, but also have an impact on the carbon footprint of deliveries, helping work towards a greener overall logistics chain. Solutions like Fetchify’s GeoCoding provide latitude and longitude coordinates for each customer address which allows couriers to calculate the shortest route between all points. As well as saving the company time and money, optimised delivery routes also reduce overall congestion contributing to wider sustainability in urban areas.


2. Reconsider your packaging


The obvious thought is of course to switch to recycled or recyclable packaging, but that relates to the sustainability of your business as a whole and is a subject for another blog. When thinking specifically about your last mile delivery, there is another aspect of packaging to consider: space-efficiency.


With the race for ever-faster delivery, one-size-fits-most packaging may seem the most time-efficient solution, but every time a single item is shipped in a delivery box that could also fit a three piece set, that is dead space in the van which could be carrying more individual orders and increasing the efficiency and therefore the sustainability of the whole journey. Achieving most sustainable last mile deliveries is achieved by adjusting and tweaking at every stage of the process.


3. Parcel Lockers


One of the biggest reasons for failed deliveries is customer absence. We’ve all come home and groaned to find that “sorry you were out” note. Missed deliveries are not only extremely frustrating, they are also a waste of time and fuel for the delivery company. One solution to the problem is to use parcel lockers. These are usually situated in busy, central areas such as train stations or shopping malls and most are accessible 24/7. Customers can pick up their parcel as part of a larger trip to buy groceries or on their commute, increasing fuel efficiency of the entire delivery even further with less mileage required by that one package.


4. Real-time tracking


Lockers aren’t the only answer to the absent customers issue. Just because your customer has ordered something online doesn’t mean they have time to wait by the door all day till it arrives. Often delivery windows are several hours long or even “anytime between 9am-5pm”. Some tracking systems allow the customer to let the driver know up to the last hour whether they will be home or not which saves a failed delivery if something unexpected were to come up. But before you can make sure your clients are receiving the most accurate delivery updates, you need to make sure you are collecting accurate contact details from them at checkout, up-to-the-minute messages that are going to an incorrect phone number or email are not going to help optimise the delivery. Fetchify’s phone validation and email validation solutions plug quickly and easily into your checkout ensuring your capture only accurate and validated contact details every time.


5. Low emission delivery vehicles


Possibly the most obvious problem with last mile deliveries is the sheer number of vehicles on the road at any one moment, bringing goods to people’s homes.


According to a government survey* there were 4.1million licensed vans on the roads between 2019-2020 which racked up 5.5billion miles. 85% of that mileage was for commercial purposes.


The same study stated that only 10,400 of those vehicles were ultra-low emission vans (ULEV).


As an industry, there is still a long way to go in increasing sustainability. Route optimisation as stated above, can help reduce mileage, but switching your fleet to ULEVs or using a carrier that employs only ULEVs, will make a huge difference to the carbon footprint of your last-mile delivery.


6. Address validation


You can finesse every part of your delivery process, from warehouse to the front door, but if you captured the wrong address at checkout, even a perfectly optimised route won’t get the delivery to the right place. It is important to get in the foundations to build the rest of your sustainability plan on top of. In the case of greener last-mile logistics, your foundation has to be accurate and validated customer data.


Fetchify’s type-ahead address search and validation tool, Address Auto-Complete, provides the customer with suggestions as they type and correctly auto-fills the checkout form when they click on the right address suggestion. This not only speeds your customers through the checkout process, reducing abandoned carts, it also ensures you capture 100% accurate address data so you can get your deliveries to the right place, every time.

About Fetchify


Fetchify’s address lookup and data validation platforms cover more than 250 countries, and increases customer conversion with the fastest, most accurate customer data capture. Fetchify’s flagship products – Address Auto Complete and Postcode Lookup – reduce friction at the checkout, and also significantly increase the number of successful deliveries. Founded in 2008, Fetchify processes millions of data transactions every day for clients ranging from startups to established high-street names, and offers a full suite of data validation tools, including phone, email and bank, too.

Unpacking Experience, Embracing New Adventures - Meet Sarah

By Fiona Paton • April 28, 2026
A fresh chapter begins After eight years of travelling to exciting places in the world of events, Sarah has finally unpacked her bags and settled into a brand‑new adventure with the ClearCourse group at Fetchify. What makes this move so exciting is that Sarah isn’t just bringing a suitcase full of experience - she’s also carving out space to learn, grow, and lend her support wherever it’s needed. Whether it’s her customers, her teammates, or her family, Sarah has a knack for showing up with warmth and dedication. We caught up with her to hear how the transition is going, and true to form, she’s embracing the change with positivity and an eagerness to learn. It’s clear she’s already making her mark, blending her event‑world expertise with fresh energy for this next chapter. Closing a chapter at Fusion I loved my job and team at Fusion - being able to travel to places both at home and abroad was truly the opportunity of a lifetime. Having started as an Account Exec, I was a Senior Account Manager before the arrival of my first child. After taking a break to spend precious time with my little one, I later returned part‑time in a Customer Success role. Fast forward a few years, and with the arrival of my second child last September, I felt the pull for something new - a fresh challenge, a different rhythm. The opportunity to join the team at Fetchify came at just the right moment, offering me the chance to blend my wealth of experience with the excitement of a new chapter. Stepping into my new role My new adventure starts as Customer Service Manager, taking charge of support queries that come through the helpdesk and lending a hand wherever I can - whether that’s to customers or my teammates. Coming from a role where I knew the ins and outs like the back of my hand, it feels a little strange to be starting fresh again. But that’s part of the excitement: everything is new, and every day brings a chance to learn. With so many different aspects to Fetchify, I’m on a huge learning curve, and while that can feel daunting, it’s also energising. I’m ready to grow into this role and make it my own. The thrill of something new I’m really excited about the chance to learn and develop new skills. This role feels like an opportunity to carve out a fresh level of dedicated support for customers - one that’s not only effective but also personable. My background gives me a unique edge in supporting the team, too, especially the account managers. Having walked in their shoes, I know what’s required and, in time, I hope to anticipate where I can step in to help. It’s a win‑win all round: customers get thoughtful, tailored support, and the team gains a colleague who understands their world inside out. And for me, it’s the excitement of growing into something new while making a real difference. Finding my place in the team I feel so fortunate to be working with amazing people again - I’m absolutely loving my new team. They’re inspirational, friendly, and did I mention knowledgeable? Whatever you need, you just have to ask, and someone is always on hand to support me at this stage. It’s also great to be in such a flexible role, where the team trusts you to work unsupervised because they know you’ll work hard and give 100%. I’m really looking forward to contributing in ways that take some of the load off them and free them up, whether that’s by stepping in or taking initiatives along the way. Life beyond the desk When I’m not working, I happily spend all my time with my family. We love getting outdoors - whether it’s exploring country parks, going for long walks, or just enjoying nature together. Spending time with close friends who also have kids is another favourite. The children play, we catch up, and it always feels easy and fun. Honestly, anything goes as long as my children and family are with me. Family comes first, always. When I became a mum, I promised myself I would be there to spend time with them, and that’s something I hold onto every single day. Looking ahead Working as an Account Manager in events was a lot like project management - overseeing every detail and making sure everything came together. That’s something I’ve always enjoyed and feel confident in, so if the chance comes up to use those skills again later, that would be great. For now, though, I’m really happy on this new path. It’s fresh, it’s challenging, and I’m enjoying everything it brings.

Why checkout accuracy is now a margin protection issue

By Fiona Paton • April 27, 2026
In today’s uncertain and unpredictable world, it’s difficult to find any sector that isn’t under pressure. Costs are rising, geopolitical pressures are mounting, and many companies’ profitability levels are declining. From discounting to growing fulfilment costs, it’s clear that turning a profit in the fast-moving realm of ecommerce is becoming increasingly harder to achieve. Earlier this month, research unveiled by International Logistics Group highlighted how fulfilment costs and operational pressures are now overtaking marketing as the biggest barriers to growth. Put another way, ecommerce brands are no longer struggling to generate demand, but struggling to fulfil it. As a company built around postcode lookup software, Fetchify gets to regularly look behind the curtain and see first-hand how ecommerce companies are struggling with inefficiencies; inefficiencies that are, effectively, eroding the bottom line. Generally speaking, there’s often one thing that jumps out as a potential area for improvement. Thankfully, it’s also an area that Fetchify can easily resolve. Clean data is good data Customer data sits at the core of any ecommerce company’s operations. The irony, however, is that despite it being an organisation’s lifeblood, it’s often littered with errors and duplications, all of which eat further into profit margins if these inaccuracies result in failed deliveries, reshipping costs and lost conversions at checkout. Smart Routes , a route optimisation firm, for example, claims the average cost per failed delivery is £11.60. Not only that, but 70 per cent of shoppers are unlikely to return after a failure. It doesn’t take that many of these before you’ve significantly eaten into the bottom line with costs that are avoidable, damaged your reputation and lost future business. This is where data quality becomes a commercial priority, not just a nice to have. Fetchify's Data Cleansing service, for example, validates records against Royal Mail PAF® data, standardises formats for phone and email contact data, improves data health by giving longer-term usability, and helps organisations keep their customer contact databases clean and compliant. We’ve launched this service on the basis that maintaining high-quality data standards is no longer optional. It’s mission critical. Avoiding ‘data decay’ Getting your data right at the point of capture is crucial. However, maintaining your database is just as important. It’s also a bit like tending to your garden – it needs constant attention if you want it to stay in shape. According to The Smarketers , B2B contact data decays at a rate of 30 per cent each year. Or, to explain it in layman’s terms, if your database of customers is 100,000 strong, 30,000 of them become inaccurate every 12 months. If you’re sending communications to the wrong person, then you’re damaging trust. If you’re not sending communications to 30 per cent of your prospective customer list, then you’re missing opportunities. Either way, you’re losing out. As businesses face growing pressure to improve delivery performance without passing on costs, our view is that getting your data right – and ensuring it stays right – is a quick, easy and inexpensive way in which to address both requirements. The Bottom Line Customer expectations are rising in tandem with intensifying competition. There is no longer any room for inefficiencies. From Fetchify’s standpoint, organisations that invest in data cleansing tools are gaining a competitive advantage and reducing wastage. Not only that, but they’re also lowering operational costs by reducing the risk of failed deliveries, increasing the chances of conversion and creating a solid foundation for ongoing, personalised marketing. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be expensive – it just needs to be precise. Clean data improves operations and protects margins. In a market where every cost counts, getting your data right is one of the simplest ways to stay competitive and stay profitable. Want to see how clean data could improve your margins? Discover how Fetchify’s data cleansing solutions can help you reduce costs, improve delivery success and unlock better performance by calling a member of the team on +44 (0)333 014 1992. 
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Data Validation vs. Data Verification: Why Clean Data Matters in Ecommerce

By Fiona Paton • April 13, 2026
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Turning addresses into strategic insights

By Fiona Paton • February 25, 2026
As a customer data verification software provider, we’ve been helping businesses ensure that they deliver products purchased by their customers online, to the right people at the right time since 2008. Take our longstanding Postcode Lookup service, for example. Businesses that incorporate this at their online checkout enable customers to quickly – and accurately – add their address simply by inputting their postcode. For the end user making a purchase, it’s a frictionless way to add their address details. For our customers, this translates into smoother conversions and consistently valid data. It also reduces the risk of failed or returned deliveries, because the information entered is drawn directly from Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF) and confirmed by the end user before they click “buy now”. In the 18 years since our inception, our products and services have evolved to include email, phone number, and even bank account validations at the point of checkout, too. At the heart of everything we do is data - and our ability to harness it to improve the end‑user experience while reducing the risk of input errors. However, no two addresses are the same. A changing property landscape The UK and Ireland’s property landscape is not only dense but rapidly evolving. There are more and more properties being built that contain more than one home, and planning volumes pertaining to new properties are continually growing. The Build to Rent market, for example, surpassed 300,000 homes in 2025, according to Knight Frank . The result? More homes are concentrated in smaller spaces, making delivery logistics harder to navigate. Whilst the property landscape is evolving, if you’re a business that’s responsible for high delivery volumes, you need to evolve with it in order to maintain checkout simplicity for end-users, and reduce the hassle and cost of failed or missing deliveries to maintain profit margins. Seeing the full picture with Enriched Data In line with developing a wider product portfolio, we’ve launched Enriched Data – a suite of individual services designed to delve deeper into the nuances of the UK and Ireland’s growing list of addresses. Each service is available separately, giving businesses the flexibility to choose the specific enrichment they need. Here are four examples of how these services can help organisations that rely on deliveries. Multiple residences: Accuracy in Every Unit As previously covered, apartments, shared housing, and multi-family housing are becoming a larger component of the UK and Ireland’s property makeup. If you’re a business that predominantly targets young adults and those more likely to live in high-density housing and multi-occupancy dwellings, then ensuring that your product actually reaches them is possibly as critical to your business as the sale itself. Our Multiple Residence Data feature enables your customers to instantly identify and input their property at checkout, as our software includes the postcodes of 900,000 properties that fall under housing of this nature. We’re living in an age where one postcode doesn’t simply represent one street. There are now many levels and layers linked to one postcode. Enriched Data allows you and the delivery services to see them very clearly. Not-Yet-built: A glimpse into the future The Royal Mail’s PAF is comprehensive. However, it only covers existing properties. This is where our Not Yet Built Data feature comes in, which has been developed around Royal Mail’s Not Yet Built database - a specialised, monthly-updated databank identifying over 700,000 UK properties currently in planning or under construction. The beauty of this dataset is that it allows businesses to identify future customers, validate addresses for new developments before they appear in the main PAF database, and target new-build areas. Naturally, our Enriched Data services include this dataset, which means that Fetchify customers can use it strategically to engage with future customers and model anticipated demand volumes – even before the building’s foundations are in place. Rooftop Geocodes: The finer details In simpler times, a dropped pin would have provided enough information for a delivery driver to make a delivery. However, as property density increases, pressure on delivery drivers intensifies, and the number of online orders continues to grow, delivery details need to be much more explicit. Through Fetchify’s Rooftop Geocodes feature, businesses can use geocodes to pinpoint an exact delivery location. Not only does a unique geocode provide a level of accuracy that a dropped pin doesn’t, but latitude and longitude coordinates support better logistics and route planning. And, when used with other mapping tools, it allows businesses to identify location-specific access restrictions and any other obstacles that may provide barriers to delivery. Eirecodes: Precision for Irish Addresses Capturing accurate Irish addresses is critical for reliable deliveries, especially in remote areas where inconsistent addressing can cause delays. Eircodes are Ireland’s official postcode system, and each Eircode is unique to a single building. That level of precision can’t be guessed at - it requires the official Eircode database to ensure accuracy. With Fetchify’s Eircodes data, businesses gain access to the most up‑to‑date Republic of Ireland ECAF dataset, sourced directly from Eircode. For those needing enhanced location detail, the optional ECAD data add‑on provides additional geocodes to further streamline delivery operations. Eirecodes Data removes ambiguity, cuts the time associated with delivery drivers trying to find an address, and ensures that there are no failed deliveries. A simple solution to a complicated problem According to a report , the average cost of a failed delivery stands at £148.21. When you consider that around 4.2 billion parcels were shipped in 2024, with around 1 per cent (42 million) being lost or damaged, as outlined in an article by The Standard , failed deliveries represent a significant cost for retailers. The solution? Enriched Data, of course. If you already use Fetchify, then no additional integration or configuration is required, as it works natively with our Address Auto-Complete plugins. Ready to turn addresses into strategic insights for your business? Our team can help you unlock the full benefits of Enriched Data - from Not-Yet-Built datasets to geocoding - each designed to tackle a different delivery challenge. Reach out to our team to discover how we can help you streamline your operations, cut administration costs, and give your business a competitive edge.
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