Coincident with the rapid growth of omni-channel retailing, growing urbanization, changing consumer behavior, and increasing focus on sustainability, academic interest in the area of last mile logistics has significantly increased. The growth in academic publications has been tremendous, with three out of four articles appearing within the past five years. The influx of research spans multiple disciplines and various methodologies, underlining the complexity and fragmentation of last mile logistics research, which leads to a lack of unity in the understanding of the concept. We provide a systematic review and classification of the literature to provide a more coherent view of last mile logistics research. The review covers 155 peer-reviewed journal publications focusing on last mile logistics. Findings demonstrate that the literature embraces a diversity of aspects and facets that are classified into five themes: emerging trends and technologies, operational optimization, supply chain structures, performance measurement, and policy. Further, we propose a framework of last mile logistics literature that comprises five components and their interrelationships, namely, last mile logistics, last mile distribution, last mile fulfillment, last mile transport, and last mile delivery. The results provide a foundation for further development of this research area by proposing avenues for future research.

Purpose: This paper aims to present an integrated view of the literature published on all aspects and facets of competence in supply chain management (SCM) and furthermore provides a framework for classifying and analyzing literature to facilitate further study, practice and research.Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review identified 98 peer-reviewed scientific journal publications on the subject of competence in SCM.Findings: This review identifies and classifies the key content of the subject based on whose competence (level of analysis) and the type of competence (competence element), resulting in a framework that brings together aspects at the individual and organizational level, and of the functional, relational, managerial and behavioral elements of competence from the SCM literature. It furthermore displays the timeliness and wide-ranging character of the subject, as presented by the evolutionary timeline and the main research streams.Research limitations/implications: Although competence in SCM is a key to business success, the subject is ambiguous and an explicit need exists for more research. This paper provides a foundation for future examination of and theory building in this subject. It also alerts researchers to complementary studies outside of their own “customary” domains.Practical implications: This paper can support managers in their pursuit to secure competence in SCM and thereby improve outcomes on both individual and organizational level. It can furthermore assist in the development of relevant programs and training sessions.Originality/value: To the best of authors’ knowledge, this work represents the first systematic literature review on the subject of competence in SCM. In addition, it proposes a taxonomy for mapping and evaluating research on this subject.

Purpose: The success of last-mile delivery is dependent on consumer acceptance of such services, yet little is known about unattended delivery experience. This paper's purpose is to provide empirically based understanding of customer experience dimensions in unattended home delivery.Design/methodology/approach: Using an engaged scholarship approach, this field study investigated nine households that actively used an unattended delivery service for a period of six to nine months. Empirical data were collected primarily from in-depth interviews.Findings: The study demonstrates that unattended delivery experience is a multidimensional construct that comprises consumers' cognitive, emotional, behavioral, sensorial, physical and social responses to the service. The empirical evidence provides rich descriptions of each customer experience dimension, and the research offers a framework and propositions on unattended delivery experience.Practical implications: The results guide and support managers in assessing and developing delivery services using a consumer-centric approach to enhance customer experience.Originality/value: This research is one of the first to address unattended delivery experience by providing a comprehensive, empirically grounded framework. The results provide a foundation for future investigations of last-mile delivery experience dimensions.