Supply chain start-up in the spotlight: Milkman

Milkman

Founded in 2015 in Milan by Antonio Perini and Tommaso Baù, Italian start-up Milkman aims to become Italy’s – and later Europe’s – go-to company for truly innovative, customer-centric last-mile delivery options. The service enables consumers to shop with whichever web stores they wish and arrange for their online orders to be shipped to the Milkman delivery address that they have set up. They then schedule home delivery by Milkman at their own convenience.

The solution, which is supported by apps for Apple and Android and a proprietary pricing algorithm, includes same-day and next-day time windows and regular updates about the estimated time of arrival (ETA). One of Milkman’s unique selling points is the fact that the home deliveries are not based done by crowdsourced drivers.

The proposition is based on the start-up’s belief that the future of home deliveries is not only about speed, but also and more importantly about giving choice to the shopper. The company is on a mission to educate consumers about the true value of home deliveries and to empower them to take charge of exactly when they want to receive their parcels. Milkman is also keen to educate omni-channel retailers about the importance of deliveries as a key factor for a successful e-commerce.

The start-up currently employs between 20 and 30 people. The company has received two million euros of funding so far and achieved 130% percent revenue growth from 2016 to 2017. The revenue forecast for 2018 is four million euros and this is expected to increase to €13 million by the end of 2019. Key customers include Eataly, Nespresso, Maxisport, Yeppon.it and Tannico, and the company works in partnership with Digitail and Coop, which is Italy’s leading grocery retailer.