Worldwide robotic last-mile delivery revenues are forecasted to grow from US$260 million in 2025 to over US$1.74 billion by 2032, according to new ABI Research.
The global technology intelligence company said the total number of robotic deliveries deployed is also expected to reach 25,000 by 2032.
It noted that robotic deliveries consist of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), and their growth is fostering partnerships and investments across the ecosystem, which could address future staffing complexities and growing last-mile delivery costs in urban areas.
High last-mile delivery costs, combined with carriers' focus on delivery speed, are also driving adoption in different regions worldwide.
"North America has seen an enormous increase in the number of robotics providers such as Nurov, Cruise, and Starship Technologies, which are driving deployments in the last-mile delivery space," said Adhish Luitel, principal analyst, supply chain management & logistics at ABI Research.
"With AMR technology advancing, an increasing number of use cases are being realized in urban zones and structured areas such as malls and universities," he added.
The research noted that the online grocery market has also grown substantially, leading to an increase in grocery-based last-mile deliveries focusing on AMRs.
It said that the recent partnership between Starship Technologies and Bolt Food in Europe is a good example. — blending Starship's robotic technologies and Bolt's expansion in the market can set the scene for urban last-mile deliveries across Europe.
ABI Research said e-commerce penetration in the grocery sector is set to reach 15% by 2026, up from 8.8% in 2020.
Meanwhile, globally, e-commerce sales will grow to US$8.1 trillion in 2026.
"AMRs also have the lowest cost-per-delivery and much lower carbon emissions, which has led to continued adoption. They have the lowest cost-per-delivery of any mobility," Luitel said.
"As deployments ramp up from university to suburbs and city streets, enterprises will be able to judge not only their operational efficiency but also the response from the larger communities and stakeholders as they adjust to sharing their sidewalks, streets, and crosswalks with these efficient machines," he added.
These findings are from ABI Research's Last-Mile Delivery Solutions market data report. It is part of the company's Supply Chain Management and Logistics research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights.
