Top 6 Logistics and Supply Chain Trends of 2022 -

Rapid shifts in business and social environments put increasing pressure on logistic companies, disrupting traditional operating models and raising new challenges. Some technologies and supply chain trends have lost their relevance while others are growing in popularity. Over the past few years, the industry has seen more transformational change than it has in perhaps the entire previous century. Always on and always connected, today’s customer demands fast, integrated, and personalised experiences via diverse channels that comply with the latest personal safety requirements introduced by the pandemic.

To keep up with high volatility in supply and demand and remain resilient, businesses in logistics need to transform their operations and workflows. Companies will have to reconsider their business ecosystems and optimise all the essential processes and infrastructure, from warehouse automation and opening new parcel-delivery bases to developing delivery networks, integrating with third-party vendors, and adjusting their marketing and brand development activities. It’s critical to ensure you have all the resources and skills in place, including software development expertise. Many enterprises partner with experienced providers of logistics software development services to facilitate and support this digital journey.

Moving forwards with your digital transformation, you need to scope out logistics and supply chain technology trends, assess their potential within your business environment and select those technologies that could meet your specific business needs. If you dive into the latest publicly available industry reports by McKinsey, PwC, Gartner or the Logistics Trend Radar published annually by DHL, you’ll find several technologies and supply chain trends covered there. Some are already being pioneered by industry innovators, and others are predicted to disrupt the market in the coming years. Let’s take a closer look at them.

The total value of omnichannel distribution will continue to grow seven per cent every year, from $600 billion in 2019 to $840 billion by 2025

 

– McKinsey

Yet supply chains can struggle to meet the customer-centric expectations that the omnichannel experience demands if their fulfilment processes are patchy and the supply chain is too segmented. A lack of visibility into inventory in transit is also problematic. Companies will have to overcome these challenges to deliver a seamless experience while minimising the costs of complaints and cancelled orders.

With customer experience at the forefront, companies will have shift from integrated legacy systems to cross-channel platforms shared between manufacturers, retailers and logistics providers, with the aim of improving visibility over their supply chains, streamlining shipment processes and responding to the growing pressure on “anytime and anywhere” delivery models.

To bring customer experience even further forward, digital innovators will focus on technologies like artificial intelligence for personalising experiences, voice commerce and chatbots for customer support and touchless interactions, extended reality for immersive experiences, contactless IoT and mobile technologies for billing and payment digitalisation.