The goal of omnichannel retailing is to create a seamless and transparent experience for the customer that enhances the retailer's brand. To date, the omnichannel retailing focus has been largely on the selling experience and not how the retailer gets the goods into the customer's hands. However, customers measure the entire shopping experience, including delivery. Omnichannel selling is making retailers responsible for home delivery, whether they like it or not, and last-mile delivery performance is the last word about the retailer in the customer's mind.

Many companies unintentionally have created departmental silos within their organizations. Information and products go back and forth between the different functional areas, but the customer is often missing from the process. When lean supply chain strategies, which focus on eliminating waste, are implemented, once again the customer is often times left out. Instead of focusing on the client, the company focuses internally to improve processes. Research shows that undertaking a lean supply chain journey that extends outside the four walls of the organization significantly improves the customer experience, company productivity and the bottom line. - Eric Lail, VP, Continuous Improvement and Client Services, Transportation Insight