The real cost of last mile

Distance, density, and failed attempts

By Dark Store editorial · Published 17 September 2026 at 13:00 · E-commerce, Fulfilment

Density is the lever

Orders per hour in a postcode cluster drives unit economics. Hyper-local dark stores exist to raise density — not to chase nationwide logos.

Failed hand-offs are silent margin killers

Reattempts and refunds show up scattered across finance. Tag them at fulfilment source to see true cost.

Promise what the building can keep

Cut-offs and delivery windows should follow pick capacity and driver pool — synced from the same system that runs the board.