• by Chuck Martin , March 17, 2020

More than 20 billion packages will be delivered by automated, last-mile deliveries, according to a new study by Lux Research.

The last-mile deliveries fall into the categories of drones, legged robots, wheeled robots and autonomous vehicles.

The overall market for parcel deliveries is estimated to grow from 107 billion parcels delivered in 2019 for revenue of $350 billion, to 289 billion parcels in 2030, for revenue of $665 billion.

Automated, last-mile deliveries are projected to generate $48 billion in revenue by 2030 and account for 20% of all parcel deliveries.

Consumer expectations for faster deliveries are driving companies to explore using automated delivery technologies, according to the study.

The most promising of automated delivery methods are autonomous vehicles paired with drones, according to Lux.

"Robot-as-a-service business models are emerging in startups developing last-mile automated delivery technologies," stated Lux research analyst Josh Kern. "Large companies that can invest in and develop their own technologies are not expected to use these services, but logistics companies and retailers with no experience in robotics likely will."