We’re delivery people not jargon people.

So we’ve rustled up a list of logistics jargon that we’ve attempted to un-pretzel into regular lingo.

Hopefully it’ll help demystify those key logistic terms and acronyms. Let’s get into it…

Auto batching / stacking

It’s when tech automatically bundles orders together with similar delivery times & locations into single pickups

It means:

  • more orders in less vehicles (better for the environment)
  • more efficiency
  • less cost

Buy Online, Pick up Anywhere (BOPA)

It’s e-comm fulfilment that lets customers collect online orders from, well, anywhere. Not just in store, but from parcel lockers, even offices & hotels – for maximum ease & efficiency.

Bracketing

Bracketing is when a customer buys multiple sizes or colours of an item and returns what’s not wanted.

More bracketing = more returns, which can create a logistical headache for retailers.

Cold chain

In delivery land, ‘cold chain’ has one goal: to keep goods cold at all times.

It’s the process of keeping temperature sensitive deliveries – like fresh groceries or even vaccines – at the right temperature at each point in the delivery ‘chain’ – from storage to collection and transit to final delivery.

Cross-docking

Cross docking starts with large vehicles unloading goods at a warehouse / distribution centre. Rather than being stored, these goods then get sorted and loaded into smaller vehicles to be delivered to customers.

Curbcierge

It’s a premium curb side pickup service with a dedicated staff member to make sure the collection process is quicker and easer.

Micro fulfilment

It’s fulfilment (storing/picking/packing) from a small space e.g. a mini warehouse or a dedicated area in-store, in densely populated areas located closer to the customer, to reduce delivery times.

Multi-modal fleet

When a courier has more than one kind of vehicle available. Like us (we have 6 in case you’re wondering).

Peaking factor

How big shippers (like Fedex) calculate their peak delivery surcharges by comparing how much they ship in a random week in June vs. a busy week during peak. That’s your peaking factor.

Peak shippers

If your weekly delivery orders over the Xmas period reach 3x your average February rates, then you’re a peaky shipper.

Porch pirate

Over a third of Americans have lost parcels to porch pirates. So what are they?

They are thieves who steal packages from other people’s porches… hence the name.

Disclaimer: they’re not always human…

Proof of delivery

Why’s a courier taking a photo of me?

Truth is, they’re taking a photo of the package, not you (sorry).That’s Proof of Delivery (or POD).

It’s an upgrade from a signature squiggle to a pic, to prove that a package has been delivered successfully.

SKU

SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit.

It’s a scannable code on a particular item stored in a particular location & keeps track of products so they’re easy to search for and manage.

Seen logistics jargon you need untangling? Send them over to press@gophr.com