About the collaboration
At Gridwise, our focus is, and always has been, to empower gig drivers as part of our mission of Improving the way people work and goods move. With autonomous vehicles introducing a new type of gig mobility driver, we want to ensure these vehicles can best operate alongside human drivers in our efforts to enable the most efficient mobility system.
About the customer
In 2016, a team of Google engineers founded a top autonomous vehicle company specializing in developing and deploying self-driving vehicles for last-mile delivery, gaining recognition for its innovative approach to autonomous technology.
The company’s primary focus is creating safe and efficient solutions for transporting local goods, helping to improve the lives of all drivers. The vehicles are purpose-built to navigate urban environments and provide reliable, contactless delivery services. These compact, low-speed vehicles are explicitly designed to transport goods rather than passengers.
This company has developed advanced sensor systems, including LiDAR and cameras, to perceive and understand its surroundings, enabling the vehicles to navigate complex traffic scenarios and safely interact with pedestrians and other road users. The company also leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve its vehicles’ capabilities and decision-making processes continuously.
The company has successfully conducted autonomous delivery trials in select regions by partnering with various retailers, grocery chains, and delivery service providers. Its goal has been to streamline and enhance the delivery experience while reducing congestion, emissions, and overall transportation costs.
The company’s commitment to advancing autonomous technology and transforming the logistics industry has positioned it as a key player in the autonomous vehicle space, with the potential to revolutionize the way goods are delivered in urban environments.
The challenge
As this company built toward commercializing its fleet of autonomous vehicles, it needed to efficiently prioritize which markets it should launch in and which areas of the city it should map. This meant the company needed an in-depth understanding of the current unit economics of its non-autonomous competitors in a given market to understand what it should expect in terms of efficiency and profitability.
As a delivery service provider, the company recognized the delivery market’s complexity and rapidly changing nature. It required a more profound understanding of delivery dynamics, metrics, and market variations to scale its operations efficiently.
Before engaging with Gridwise, the company’s data was insufficient, relying on partnerships, casual conversations, and online research. It lacked the granular insight into real-world delivery dynamics that come from aggregating actual driver activity and performance data. Metrics like miles per delivery, outbound time and demand volume by zip code were needed to accurately model unit economics.
To be confident in their go-to-market plan, this customer needed a complete data set that told the full story of delivery in multiple markets, which is why a partnership with Gridwise Analytics made sense.
A collaborative solution
“Gridwise Analytics data is a unique dataset that enabled our team with a powerful go-to-market strategy to drive our fleet efficiency, geo-expansion strategy, and introductions in new verticals that we would otherwise have no visibility in.”
—Chief of Staff, Strategy & Business Operations Lead
As soon as this customer connected with Gridwise, the two teams closely collaborated to build a package that provided access to real-world data and analytics capabilities to address their challenges. Based on human-driven deliveries, Gridwise provided unique and reliable aggregated and anonymized data sets, supplying exclusive granular insights into the delivery market.
The collaboration involved frequent communication, thought leadership, and feedback exchanges. Once this was defined, our analytics team did their best to go above and beyond to build and deliver the metrics this customer needed while frequently meeting to discuss strategy and data optimizations.
What are the results of our collaboration?
Houston Food Delivery Trips O&D Points. Source: Gridwise Analytics
The customer has been thrilled with Gridwise’s Analytics capabilities. They have used our resources to effectively model out mobility patterns to drive fleet efficiency and pricing across various markets, which has helped them feel confident about their go-to-market strategy. Gridwise Analytics insights have been used to:
Support Market Expansion and Go-to-Market Strategies
- Gridwise Analytics supported market expansion plans by providing valuable insights for each new market. Through the data provided, the company could identify variations in demand volume, miles per delivery, and other metrics across 3 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), which encompassed 9 counties. This enabled it to develop targeted go-to-market strategies and prioritize its approach to different markets, resulting in more effective market entries.
Enable Fleet Efficiency and Operations Optimization
- Gridwise Analytics played a crucial role in optimizing fleet operations. By analyzing over 1.9 million aggregated trips to understand fleet efficiency, miles per day, and other relevant metrics, the company gained insights into the efficient utilization of its fleet. These insights helped it plan for delivery operations, fleet balancing, supply allocation, and other operational decisions. The company was able to visualize the distribution of metrics and perform scenario planning, enhancing its ability to optimize fleet operations and allocate resources effectively.
Enhance Planning and Decision-Making
- With Gridwise Analytics, the company gained a more accurate understanding of delivery dynamics, enabling it to make informed decisions regarding its go-to-market strategies and fleet operations. The real-world data provided by our team helped validate assumptions and build a more reliable mental model for each market. This led to improved planning, optimized resource allocation, and more efficient delivery service.
Foster Collaborative Relationships and Continuous Improvement
- A collaborative relationship with the Gridwise team proved to be valuable. Regular check-ins, feedback exchanges, and the availability of Gridwise’s co-founders during meetings fostered a productive partnership. Gridwise demonstrated a commitment to addressing the company’s specific needs, enhancing its product based on feedback, and continuously updating data to align with evolving requirements.
What’s next?
Partnering with Gridwise Analytics has empowered the company to make data-driven decisions, optimize their go-to-market strategies, and enhance fleet operations. By leveraging anonymized real-world data and collaborating closely with the Gridwise team, it has achieved improved market planning, and operational efficiency. The company sees tremendous potential in further leveraging Gridwise Analytics for its expansion plans and introducing new verticals.
As the company continues expanding into new markets, Gridwise Analytics capabilities will provide crucial insights for planning and decision-making. Additionally, it looks forward to exploring more granular metrics and additional data verticals to enhance its go-to-market strategies and fleet operations further.
