Abstract
In an increasingly globalized and digital marketplace, the final phase of the supply chain, the last mile, has transformed from a mere operational cost center into a critical brand touchpoint. This paper investigates the causal relationship between last-mile supply chain visibility (SCV) and the formation of consumer brand loyalty. We posit that in the context of e-commerce, the delivery experience serves as a primary, tangible interaction with the brand, and this study specifically examines the crucial mediating roles of perceived service quality and customer trust in this process. To provide a holistic analysis, this study adopts a mixed-methods approach, beginning with a quantitative cross-sectional survey of 2,500 online consumers across North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. We analyzed this data using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test our proposed causal model and regional moderation effects. The subsequent qualitative phase consisted of in-depth case studies of Amazon, Zara, and Domino's Pizza to explore the frameworks that enable superior last-mile performance. Our findings reveal a strong, positive causal path from last-mile SCV to brand loyalty, significantly mediated by customer trust (β = 0.48, p < 0.001) and perceived service quality (β = 0.35, p < 0.001). A key finding is that proactive communication regarding delivery status is a more potent driver of trust than passive tracking alone. Furthermore, we found that regional factors significantly moderate this relationship, with consumers in East Asian markets showing a higher sensitivity to delivery speed and visibility. Our qualitative data allowed us to identify an integrated framework combining predictive analytics, IoT integration, and customer-centric communication as critical enablers of a loyalty-inducing experience. In sum, this paper makes three primary contributions: it empirically establishes a causal link between an operational function and a marketing outcome; it validates the mediating roles of trust and service perception; and it offers a nuanced, global understanding of how last-mile strategies must be adapted for international markets. The findings provide managers with a clear, evidence-based rationale for investing in last-mile technologies not as an operational expense, but as a strategic marketing investment.