A Review of Last-Mile Delivery Optimization: Strategies, Technologies, Drone Integration, and Future Trends

Last-mile delivery (LMD) is an important aspect of contemporary logistics that directly affects operational cost, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. In this paper, we provide a review of the optimization techniques of LMD, focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven decision-making, IoT-supported real-time monitoring, and hybrid delivery networks. The combination of AI and IoT improves predictive analytics, dynamic routing, and fleet management, but scalability and regulatory issues are still major concerns. Hybrid frameworks that integrate drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), ground robots, and conventional vehicles reduce energy expenditure and increase delivery range, especially in urban…