The majority of people in the transport sector expect to have their businesses redefined by ecommerce, according to a new survey.
Sixty-five percent of the 200 respondents to DHL’s survey expected the growth of ecommerce to have a “significant” impact on supply chains in the future.
This was more pronounced depending on region: respondents in regions outside the US expected the impact of ecommerce to increase while in the US they expected it to decrease.
Meanwhile, 29 percent said ecommerce was the trend having the greatest impact on their transportation strategy today.
In terms of the overall business environment, 76% said that legislation around carbon reporting was having a big impact on their decision-making about transportation. 61% of companies expected the trend of urbanisation to significantly impact their future business.
Meanwhile 67% of companies believed that big data analytics and artificial intelligence were essential for 3PLs to offer their shipper customers.
Paul Stone, CEO DHL supply chain Nordics and head of transport for MLEMEA explains: “Our European customers look for first-class capabilities in enabling last mile deliveries, which is why technology will be central to navigating this new era for ground transportation.
“The capability of AI and data analytics to manage the order profile and shipping patterns of customers’ increasingly complex and demanding operating models while optimizing cost and service, means that they are now viewed as essential services, rather than added benefits.”
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