The Applications of Operations Research in Last Mile Delivery

Richa Kalpesh Saxena; Rishil Vithalani; Ravinshu Harlalka; Retesha Karnani; Rishit Gadodia; Rushabh Sheth

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.90575

The Applications of Operations Research in Last Mile Delivery

Author(s)	Dr. Richa Kalpesh Saxena, Mr. Rishil Vithalani, Mr. Ravinshu Harlalka, Ms. Retesha Karnani, Mr. Rishit Gadodia, Mr. Rushabh Sheth
Country	India
Abstract	Last-mile delivery has emerged as a critical component of modern supply chain management due to the rapid growth of e-commerce, increasing customer expectations, and the need for faster and more reliable deliveries. Despite covering a relatively short distance, it is often one of the most complex and expensive stages of logistics, involving challenges related to route optimization, delivery costs, traffic congestion, environmental sustainability, and customer satisfaction. This study examines the evolution of last-mile delivery research from 2013 to 2026 using a bibliometric analysis of 2,771 journal publications retrieved from the Scopus database. The data was screened using the PRISMA approach and analysed using Biblioshiny to identify publication trends, influential journals, leading countries, research themes, keyword patterns, and citation impact across pre-COVID, pandemic, and post-COVID periods. The findings reveal a substantial increase in scientific publications, with research activity accelerating during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. China emerged as the leading contributor to publications by 2025, while India demonstrated significant growth in research output. Key themes have evolved from traditional city logistics and home delivery towards vehicle routing optimization, drone delivery, machine learning, parcel lockers, crowdshipping, and sustainable transportation. However, the study identifies important research gaps, including the limited use of real-world operational data, the need to balance cost efficiency with service quality and environmental sustainability, and the early-stage application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in delivery optimization. The study concludes that future research should focus on validating optimization models under actual operating conditions and developing integrated, data-driven solutions for more efficient and sustainable last-mile delivery systems. Keywords: Last-mile delivery, Operations Research, Bibliometric Analysis, Route Optimization, E-commerce, Drone Delivery, Machine Learning, Sustainability, Scopus, COVID-19.
Keywords	last-mile delivery, e-commerce logistics, route optimization, delivery networks, customer satisfaction.
Field	Business Administration
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-10-24
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.90575

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The Applications of Operations Research in Last Mile Delivery

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