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The small size of the UK gives online retail here an advantage over the US: cost-effective next day delivery to (almost) anywhere in the UK is possible from a single fulfilment centre.

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It's one of my favourite things about the UK. I can order from ebuyer.com who do next day delivery up until 11pm and have it in my hand 8am the next day. From order to me in 9 hours is amazing, so convenient.

I agree and yet I eagerly anticipate automated freight tubes which will deliver my order within an hour. (Groceries aside, think what that will do for manufacturing!)

I have a dream. A dream of automated freight running under or besides the consumer roads of the future. A dream of roads not being dug up every other week to repair XYZ Utilities dodgy handy work.

How would your dream compare and contrast to an efficient freight rail system?

I may not have thought this dream through that thoroughly... Off the cuff...

- Both could be railed options... Mine smaller and cheaper 100% autonomous units. - Mine distributed. The units could live in garages under peoples homes when not needed. - Mine expensive - rail already exists.

If such a system existed the benefit would more likely be at the manufacturing end rather than final delivery to a consumer. You could have artisan manufacturers making everything to order using a distributed system of parts delivery. This would allow smaller firms to hold very little in stock, and deliver much more quickly. Final delivery of a product like a phone is much simpler than the supply chain of all the parts.

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