Supply chain solutions provider Blue Yonder closed its previously announced acquisition of Doddle, a technology business focused on first- and last-mile logistics.
With the acquisition, Blue Yonder will add new capabilities to its logistics suite designed to enhance end-to-end supply chains, the company said in a Monday (Nov. 13) press release.
“Doddle’s differentiated solution to logistics and reverse logistics challenges is the perfect complement to Blue Yonder’s existing suite of services,” Blue Yonder CEO Duncan Angove said in the release. “With our expanded offerings, including Doddle’s self-service kiosks and pick-up, drop-off (PUDO) networks, we are able to offer retailers and logistics providers enhanced growth potential and superior experiences for their own customers.”
Doddle powers the sites of more than 900 merchants worldwide, working with retail and logistics customers to optimize and simplify their first and last mile and meet the challenge of consumer returns, according to the release.
The firm’s logistics management offerings will be integrated into Blue Yonder’s suite of commerce and returns capabilities, which already include warehouse management, transportation management and order management, the release said.
“Doddle’s offerings simplify logistics processes for all parties, including consumers, retailers and carriers — especially in the reverse logistics space,” Jordan K. Speer, research director at IDC, said in the release. “With both physical self-service kiosks and digital pick-up-drop-off networks, Doddle not only creates efficiencies but also bridges the gap that often exists between consumers and retailers or logistics providers.”
The acquisition also creates new opportunities for Blue Yonder to harness data that can improve both the end-to-end product lifecycle and the supply chain, Speer added.
Blue Yonder announced Oct. 12 that it had signed an agreement to acquire Doddle, with Angove saying the new capabilities enabled by the combination would provide retailers and logistics service providers with a simplified experience for their customers, enhanced growth potential to strengthen their businesses and an opportunity to build more sustainable supply chains.
The combination will also provide retailers with a way to reduce costs and inventory waste at a time when consumers return over $816 billion worth of products per year, Blue Yonder said, citing data from the National Retail Federation.
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