Anonymous Professional Services
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Next Challenge: What is your idea for a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to mineral oil? |
NOTE: Solvers must be located in the United States to be eligible for rewards. The top solvers will receive $250. 2nd through 5th place will receive $100 each. 20 honorable (6th-25th place) mentions will receive $25 each.
Every day, we get closer to an environment where customers can order any product and get it delivered to their doorstep right away. Companies are launching ‘next-day’ and ‘same-day’ delivery services, and fast, accurate delivery is a key component to a differentiated buying experience.
Successful players have leveraged technology to connect the locally available supply (such as restaurants and grocery stores) with customer demand and provide a seamless delivery experience. Examples include (but are not limited to):
- Food delivery: Grubhub, UberEats
- Grocery delivery: Instacart, Shipt
- General merchandise delivery: Prime Now
- Pure-play technology providers: Skipcart, Point Pickup
- Major e-commerce players: Amazon
The final stage in the delivery process to the customer represents the biggest challenge and the largest expense – it’s called Last Mile Delivery.
Emerging technologies, though several years from maturity, are already threatening to disrupt the last mile delivery space (i.e. autonomous vehicles, drones, etc.). At the same time, legacy carriers struggle with ever-shrinking margins, a more hypercompetitive landscape and huge investments in shipping capacity that now sits idle much of the time. We would like your help to envision ways that legacy carriers can extract incremental value from these existing investments and capacity.
Tell us how can legacy carriers find value in last mile delivery investments and capacity. Specifically, answer the following questions in detail:
- What are your greatest pain points or frustrations from the point that you order a product to the point that it arrives on your doorstep? Be as detailed as you can here – talk about what frustrates you through every step in the process.
- Imagine a new product, service, or experience that could enhance product delivery. Describe what it is, how it would work, and why it would motivate utilize delivery services direct to your door. Be creative - nothing is too bold!
- How can existing large-scale shipping companies (think FedEx, DHL, UPS, USPS, etc.) utilize existing investments (including their brick and mortar locations, vehicles, and drivers) to tap into the last mile delivery space? (This can also be a continuation of your response in Question 2 if applicable).
- Can you think of other scenarios/products where you wish there was a last mile delivery service?
NOTE: If you attach your submission as a PDF, PPT, Word Doc, or other file type, you must still paste your answer text into the body of the submission window. Failure to do so will result in a lower score.
Answers must be submitted in English.
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Submissions will be graded on the following criteria:
- Level of detail
- Creativity
- Originality
will receive $130 each
will receive $25 each
| $250.00 |
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Alex Baker Washington University in St. Louis | |
| $100.00 |
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Francis Daniel Santia Harvard University | |
| $100.00 |
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Olivia Wendell Honolulu community college | |
| $100.00 |
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Prashanth Jayavaradhan George Washington University | |
| $100.00 |
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Tyler Hirlinger University of Central Missouri | |
| $25.00 |
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Karen Miller West Virginia University | |
| $25.00 |
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Tong Zhou Denison University | |
| $25.00 |
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Brandon Capleton University of Central Florida | |
| $25.00 |
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Kunal Sajnani Kaplan University | |
| $25.00 |
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Eric Johnson Michigan Technological University | |
| $25.00 |
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rachid fachat University of Texas at Austin | |
| $25.00 |
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Dhruv Prajapati Drexel University | |
| $25.00 |
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TJ Fritts University of Tennessee | |
| $25.00 |
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Becca Melendez Penn Foster | |
| $25.00 |
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Jennifer Miller Walden University | |
| $25.00 |
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Shawn Hillier College of the Holy Cross | |
| $25.00 |
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Zhuohong (Kenny) Xie University of Maryland | |
| $25.00 |
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Lee Betteridge University of Central Missouri | |
| $25.00 |
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Lexi Brandt University of Notre Dame | |
| $25.00 |
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Makia Puller West Virginia University | |
| $25.00 |
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Maurika Ascalon University of Mount Olive | |
| $25.00 |
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risper eddy Eastern Michigan University | |
| $25.00 |
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Arese Ediae University of Alabama at Huntsville | |
| $25.00 |
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m . | |
| $25.00 |
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Cameron Beversluis University of Michigan |