Last mile delivery has long been one of the toughest challenges for ecommerce retailers. That hasn’t changed, but now that more buyers than ever are turning to online shopping channels to get the products they want consumer expectations for delivery speed and service are increasing rapidly. Even some of the biggest big box retailers are having difficulty keeping up with mounting demand.
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The disruption that defined 2020 is still impacting most retail supply chains in the U.S. in significant ways. As the dust continues to settle, a number of trends will almost certainly transform the retail outlook in the years to come.
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While advanced warehouse management technology has become commonplace in fulfillment, many trucking companies still largely operate as they have for decades.
That is all starting to change, however, as IoT devices transform the way critical data points are connected along the supply chain. Freight telematics is one of those game-changing technologies that will likely take on a bigger role in the freight industry in the coming years.
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Container imbalance is a perennial issue that plagues the freight forwarding industry, but never before has it felt like such an insurmountable obstacle. The extreme circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic have pushed this slowly growing but persistent challenge to the forefront.
If the global supply chain is to operate as efficiently as possible, intermodal containers must flow harmoniously between destinations to ensure supply is able to meet demand. The economic effects of COVID-19, however, have created a gross imbalance between capacity and demand.
Let’s take a deep dive into the current container imbalance and what it means for the industry as we move forward into a new year.
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With the near certainty that Joe Biden will be the next U.S. president, eyes are turning toward carbon emissions regulations that will impact the freight industry.
Experts predict a focus on vehicle emissions, specifically tight standards for trucks and incentives to replace fossil-fuel powered vehicles with electric ones. There is also the possibility of federal regulations on emissions for retailers and shippers, with a focus on Scope 3 emissions that come from the supply chain.
While tighter standards are undoubtedly good for the planet, a new regulatory regime has the potential to shake up the shipping and logistics industry. As pressure from the federal government, large economies like California, and consumer demand increases, large companies will be looking for ways to cut emissions — and many will heavily scrutinize their supply chains.
The most likely scenario is that new regulations (and new spending and support from the public sector) will accelerate several sustainability trends that are already under way in the freight industry.
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2020 has completely transformed ecommerce, and more consumers are buying online than ever before. In fact, the pandemic has accelerated the shift from physical stores to online shopping by about five years. Despite some truly unprecedented challenges, the October 2020 Logistics Manager’s Index Report shows hopeful signs for the logistics industry — thanks in part to the huge online retail boom. Let’s go over some of the report’s findings and what they mean for ecommerce retailers.
COVID-19 has rocked the freight world in expected and unexpected ways, and many businesses have struggled to keep up. As we enter the final quarter of 2020, a lot of uncertainties about the future of the industry remain.
One of those uncertainties is centered around transpacific freight. Right now, surging transpacific volume is causing problems on both sides of the Pacific. From an imbalance in intermodal container availability to the increasing importance of dual transactions at key logistics hubs, the heat is on. How are you going to adapt?
Here are our recommendations for keeping pace amid an ever-evolving situation.
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To put it mildly, 2020 has been quite a year, and “holly jolly” isn’t exactly how many people feel about the upcoming holiday season.
The pandemic has shifted the logistics landscape in major ways this year, and the holiday season is sure to push capacity to the absolute extreme. To manage the massively increased pressures on supply chains, many players in the space have already begun thinking about their holiday footing — in fact, some started as early as March.
Dim as it may seem, the bright spot on the horizon is that by letting go of expectations for how the season should go, you’re much more likely to come out ahead and — dare we say — enjoy the holidays. One thing’s for sure: This Christmas season will be like no other.
Here’s our holiday outlook for 2020.
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If timeliness matters to your supply chain — and we’re betting that now, more than ever, it does — you can’t afford to ignore opportunities to optimize your inbound supply processes and logistics. Refining your inbound supply processes will help avoid slow shipping times, errors in process, and deterioration of products, while also improving decision-making, strengthening resilience, and offering increased value for everyone in the supply chain.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at four key ways you can begin to optimize your inbound supply processes.
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The coronavirus pandemic has led to increased pressure on shippers, freight forwarders and the industry as whole, and, unfortunately, highlighted many weak points in the industry. But for better or worse, COVID-19 has been a powerful driver for technological transformation in the supply chain this year, breaking these weak links and exposing gaps in the flow of information.
One previously overlooked area is the yard, a negative space between a warehouse’s warehouse management system (WMS) and a fleet’s transportation management system (TMS). When yard management is neglected, it can become a black hole for inventory and a hotspot for risk.
That’s why now, more than ever, there’s a growing need for digital yard management systems (YMS), which make supply chains more resilient and reliable in the face of 2020′s challenges — and beyond.
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