"A lot of people think it is a bit of a joke to see a postman being bitten by a dog but it is a serious matter, " said Mike Leach, a delivery office manager.
Daniela Bolzmann, a marketing manager for WeDeliver, a Chicago business-delivery startup, has churned through 40 different apps since graduating from college in 2010.
At the Johnson City, Tenn. distribution center, manager Kathleen Gage has switched from solid Styrofoam boxes for delivery of refrigerated vaccines (90 cents each) to cardboard lined with Styrofoam (30 cents).