The lab will bring together retailers, freight carriers, logistics providers, technology companies and property developers to help work out the many logistical challenges around last-mile delivery, UW says. For instance, some developers have been rethinking building design to better accommodate the growing influx of daily ecommerce deliveries to high-rise residences and offices.

Executing on last-mile delivery — getting the package from the nearest sort or fulfillment center or postal DDU to the customer’s doorstep — has been an ongoing challenge for merchant shippers. This has been exacerbated by Amazon raising the bar in terms of customer expectations of speedy fulfillment via Prime membership and its vast network of facilities, leaving everyone else scrambling to keep up.

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