Founded in 2015 in Paris, Stuart is a smart logistics company that aims to make urban last-mile delivery sustainable, innovative, and customer-friendly. Flexibility and efficiency are two of its cornerstones.
Currently, it operates across six European countries with offices in Paris, Madrid, London, Barcelona, Lyon, and Lisbon. In the last three years, it has expanded to Italy, Poland, and Portugal.
The company has a diverse network of partners, ranging from restaurants to software solution providers and marketplaces. Slerp, Tesco, Co-op, and Carrefour are some of its key partners.
“Technology allows us to re-look at mobility in a completely different sense, from autonomous cars to drones and robotics. Since we are primarily a tech-enabled logistics platform, it’s essential for us to understand the needs of the end customer,” says Cornelia Raportaru, CEO, Stuart, in an exclusive interview with Geospatial World.
What do you think are the key trends in last-mile delivery?
Smart technology is fundamental for the last mile. If we look at things linked from tracking to smarter dispatching and routing, these are often not visible but are transformative for the industry.
It changes how effectively a package gets moved from point A to point B. We have increasingly noticed that everyone appreciates a hybrid fleet model. For instance, some restaurants would use their fleet and also the fleets and facilities of solution providers. Ultimately, it’s all about finding the right partners that can integrate key experiences for the customers.
As of now, there are a lot of players in this segment across different verticals, so perhaps, there would be more consolidation in the future.
Post-Covid, there have been a lot of transformations. With hybrid work, there’s more demand for precise delivery. The focus has shifted from speed – delivery within minutes – towards precision.
At the end of the day, customer expectations often is to receive a particular package at a pre-designated hour of the day. Delivery automation, robots, and drones are some of the other game-changing innovations.
A lot of companies are actively testing and experimenting with these. While I don’t think it could be scalable within the next year, the future is not that far when it comes to the sweeping power of automation.
The conscious shift towards sustainable delivery is another key trend, though there’s some tension on who is going to pay for it. Over the next five years, as it becomes mandatory, we will start seeing a change in policy regulations in big cities as well.
What is the role of geospatial and location intelligence in streamlining logistics and making them more resilient?
Geolocation is the key across different industries. For us, a lot of last-mile urban delivery has the geolocation component, which is critical. It allows us to find the extra value in the ecosystem, extract it, and then share it with our courier partners, clients, and customers. Layering of data and traffic is another thing that we look at.
For proper economical optimization, we need to check the distribution network and see which package is going where, and whether we need to stack them or start collecting on the courier routes. All of it requires very detailed geolocation. Datasets around weather patterns and events are also very important, especially for the European countries where we operate.
There could be some challenges, such as layering all that information, contextualizing it with location, and then sharing it with couriers. Today Gen.AI is in vogue. But before that comes Machine Learning. We use a lot of smart Machine Learning algorithms to address these issues. We will continue to incorporate AI to boost value for our customers and clients.
The element of sustainable mobility and shared last-mile delivery will be a big one in years to come. This will lead to a new level of cooperation and collaboration.
How are advanced technology and digitalization reshaping mobility?
At the end of the day, we are in the process of transforming transportation in many different ways. Part of this includes the climate pressure and the change in urban city regulations and planning.
Technology allows us to re-look at mobility in a completely different sense, from autonomous cars to drone delivery, robotic delivery, etc. Since we are primarily a tech-enabled logistics platform, we need to understand the needs of the end customer.
For the next 24 months, there will still be a lot of focus on green vehicles and de-congestion. The element of sustainable mobility and shared last-mile delivery will be a big one in years to come. This will lead to a new level of cooperation and collaboration.
Many retailers and restaurants may be required to share their transportation types instead of thinking solely from their brand perspective. A lot of the efficiency and additional features would come from capacity sharing.
Tell us about the future focus of Stuart?
These are very exciting times. It’s my seventh month as the CEO, and our steady focus is on being the default partner for same-day urban delivery across all verticals. We are a market leader in the same-day delivery segment in grocery and food.
At the same time, we have developed an infrastructure that’s very locally focused. For example, if we focus on London, there are different neighborhoods with varying dynamics. We want to ensure that what is accessible to big brands can be reused for smaller retailers as well because they often don’t have many options.
Post-pandemic, they are getting squeezed. We are looking at newer alternatives and developing infrastructure to connect and partner with them. It may require a different level of investment, but we are up for that challenge.
Any plans to expand in markets outside Europe?
We are very focused on our European markets and on the journey towards being ultra-local. There’s a lot of space for us to grow within the six countries we operate. As of now, that’s where the focus lies.
That being said, we are always open to options to venture into markets where some of our strategic clients ask us to go with them because they don’t seem to be able to find the same level of quality in the local market. While we explore options as they come, we remain very focused on our core European footprint.
