TAKEAWAYS Shaping the Future of the Global Supply Chain
RETAIL’S BIG SHIFT
• Belk , where retail stores double as fulfillment centers to leverage the ship- from-store model. Belk uses real-time routing to direct online orders to the nearest store, reducing delivery times and optimizing inventory allocation to ensure a seamless customer experience. • Nike , which uses predictive analytics to match inventories to consumer needs, allowing it to optimize inventory across an omnichannel environment through hyper-local demand predictions. Additional highlights from the report include: • 75% of retail leaders allow any store to fulfill any order, optimizing both speed and cost. • Retailers who integrate fulfillment networks see 20% lower fulfillment costs while maintaining 95% on-time delivery rates. • Leaders reduce last-mile delivery costs by 31% by leveraging stores as mini distribution centers. • 91% of leaders oer seamless cross-channel returns with instant refunds, compared to just 49%of other retailers. 6 Cybersecurity: Implementing measures to protect sensitive data and infrastructure from cyber threats. 7 Last-mile innovations: Developing new solutions to enhance the eciency and speed of final delivery stages. 8 Ecommerce: Adapting to the rapid growth of online shopping and its impact on logistics and distribution networks. 9 Circular economy: Embracing sustainable practices that promote recycling and reuse within the supply chain. 10 Artificial intelligence: Leveraging AI to optimize logistics operations, forecast demand, and enhance customer service. The survey also reveals the biggest challenges that companies need to address today and identifies how they dovetail with the identified trends. The top challenge? Geopolitical disruptions , cited as the most important issue by more than half of survey respondents. They indicate that the political environment and trade relations are particularly challenging, with rising costs exerting additional pressure. New regulations/laws also landed in the mix. Respondents say the current challenges are closely matched, however, with no single issue standing out too far above the rest, indicating that businesses must navigate multiple pressures simultaneously.
It’s ocial: Retailers are no longer just merchants; they’re experts at building logistics networks. Leading retailers are transforming stores into fulfillment
hubs, cutting costs while speeding delivery. That’s the consensus from Manhattan Associates’ 2025 Unified Commerce Benchmark for Specialty Retail —an analysis of 220 retailers across seven industry segments, evaluating 300+ customer experience capabilities. Fulfillment has undergone a reinvention of sorts, thanks to a new generation of consumers shaped by same-day delivery, real-time tracking, and flexible pickup options. In order to serve these customers who don’t distinguish between buying channels or fulfillment methods, retailers are leaning heavily on new fulfillment approaches, the report notes. Two leading examples are: changes—and anticipating them. That’s why so many resources are focused on identifying and sharing logistics and supply chain trends. The latest entrant is The Logistics Trend Map , a new report and interactive guide released by Maersk in collaboration with Statista. The Logistics Trend Map combines a robust data foundation, based on a wide range of primary and secondary sources, with firsthand perspectives from industry decisionmakers. It seeks to provide actionable insights on how to leverage trends to solve key logistics and supply chain challenges. These are the top 10 trends the report identifies: 1 Supply chain visibility: Emphasizing the need for real-time tracking and transparency across the supply chain. 2 Internet of Things (IoT): Integrating IoT devices to enhance data collection and operational eciency. 3 Supply chain diversification: Reducing reliance on single sources and diversifying suppliers to mitigate risks. 4 Financial resilience in logistics: Building robust financial strategies to withstand market fluctuations and disruptions. 5 Digital transformation: Adopting digital technologies to streamline operations and improve decisionmaking processes.
10 LOGISTICS TRENDS TO WATCH For today’s supply chains, staying competitive is about both reacting to
14 Inbound Logistics • April 2025
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