Sherpa’s incredible rise as last-mile delivery market booms

Founded six years ago by three Aussie blokes on a mission to offer a better way to execute last-mile logistics, Sherpa is now Australia’s Number One same-day delivery partner, having completed more deliveries than any of its competitors.

The heavyweight technology business’ first customer was a fashion retailer looking to move goods from one store to another. That same fashion retailer remains a Sherpa customer today, along with major retailers such as Woolworths, Roses Only, Dan Murphy’s and thousands more businesses, large and small.

With a fleet of 10,000 drivers, Sherpa operates across all Australian capital cities, in addition to regional areas including Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Cairns and beyond. This month, Sherpa also launched its services across New Zealand.

With more than 70,000 customers today, Sherpa has completed almost five million deliveries to date.

Delivering products big and small in any category, Sherpa offers its customers four propositions: one-hour, two-hour, four-hour and same-day delivery guaranteed between 7am and 10pm.

Sherpa’s growth has seen it evolve into a company that specialises in sensitive and high-risk categories of last-mile delivery fulfilment, including groceries, alcohol, medication and other categories that require particular care.

With its award-winning, intuitive SaaS-based delivery app platform, Sherpa’s rapid growth is not only testament to its quality service, but also proof of an unprecedented boom in the last mile deliveries market.

“Sherpa’s business doubled in size during the 2021 financial year and since June 2021, we’ve again doubled in size as more and more retailers turn to Sherpa to facilitate same-day delivery to their customers,” explains Sherpa CEO Duncan Brett.

“There’s no disputing that we’re in the midst of a retail revolution. Partly spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic, more Australians are shopping online than ever before and we know for a fact that consumers today want their purchases delivered faster than they’ve ever wanted before.

“Unlike Australia Post, which has struggled to satisfy Australian consumers’ growing appetite for online shopping and other somewhat unavoidable factors, Sherpa focuses only on same-day delivery, so our customers – and in turn their customers – are guaranteed timely delivery,” says Brett.

In KPMG’s 2021 Annual Retail Outlook, 80 per cent of retail CEOs said they thought customer expectations would increase the most in the next 12 months around delivery, based on more delivery options (35 per cent) and online delivery speed (45 per cent).  

“Sherpa plays in both those spaces and has been proven to be a faster option and solution. We deliver at speed and we provide multiple delivery options, all same-day.  

“Retailers are now approaching us, asking Sherpa how they can climb that mountain and solve their delivery problems. We have the tools. We have the experience and can provide a win-win for retailers and customers,” adds Brett.

Sherpa is now gearing up for what it forecasts will be its biggest Christmas peak season on record.

“Retailers fully expect Australia Post’s Christmas cut-off this year will be much earlier than years before, leaving businesses without a delivery option potentially for weeks in the lead-up to Christmas. 

“Sherpa does not have a cut-off date, and we can guarantee same-day delivery right up until 6pm on Christmas Eve.

“We’re so proud of our growth. We were voted ‘Best Carrier’ by the National Online Retailers Association in 2019 and we won the runner-up accolade for 2021.

“We’re ready to service all businesses that contact us as we approach the end-of-year Christmas, Boxing Day and online sales peak seasons,” adds Brett.

Visit www.sherpa.net.au