Google Takes a Different Approach to Supply Chain

I was a bit surprised last week when I read an article about Google investing into mapping, address, and other services for last-mile.

However, the services are not consumer-facing. Instead, they are leveraging a few important assets they have while at the same time encouraging adoption of Google Cloud.

Some of the services include improved address entry (preventing mis-deliveries), turn-by-turn navigation guides, and full day route-planning for delivery companies.

The solution is called Last Mile Fleet Solution. In essence, it ensures that whoever might win in the last mile, Google has a chance of winning ....

- Google has some of the best routing and Maps infrastructure in the world.

- Any future last-mile customers would likely only continue to improve the accuracy of this service.

- Listen to any Amazon Flex driver and one of their primary complaints is about their route, maps, etc. Indicating that map quality and ownership of that data is potentially a key advantage going forward.

These B2B solutions from Google are firmly on the side of "providing picks and shovels" for continuing improvements in last-mile delivery, still one of the most expensive parts of fulfillment - by far.