2025 3PL MARKET RESEARCH REPORT
Most Impactful Technologies
SALES: During your last measurement period, were sales up or down?
Down 10% or more 3%
Down 5% 7%
Up 20% 12%
Artificial intelligence 94%
Up 15% 13%
Driverless vehicles 46%
No change 20%
Internet of Things 24%
Up 10% 22%
Up 5% 23%
Blockchain 18%
Drones 18%
Embedded sensors 17%
CUSTOMER BASE: During your last measurement period, did your customer base grow or shrink?
Wearable technology 13%
Down 10% or more 2%
RFID 10%
Down 5% 5%
Up 20% 11%
Virtual reality 4%
Up 15% 5%
3D printing 3%
No change 18%
Artificial intelligence’s dramatic impact on the 3PL sector is undeniable (see chart below for the increase in usage since 2020). Respondents show AI as the clear-cut winner when asked about the most impactful technologies in the field, garnering 94% of replies. This marks an increase of 10 percentage points in the past two years.
Up 10% 28%
Up 5% 31%
AI USAGE
Ranking in a distant second place (46%) among impactful technologies is driverless vehicles. Other technologies on the impactful list have faded in prominence since last year, according to respondents, especially Internet of Things (24%, down 16 points in two years), blockchain (18%, down 10 points), and wearable technology (13%, down 10 points).
62% 66% 68% 84% 87% 94%
PROFITS: During your last measurement period, were profits up or down?
Down 10% or more 5%
Down 5% 7%
Up 20% 16%
Up 15% 6%
No change 19%
Up 10% 16%
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Up 5% 31%
3PL respondents report healthy sales during their most recent measurement period. Twelve percent cite sales growth of 20% or more, while 13% say they are up approximately 15%. Another 45% report growth of 5% or 10%. The most significant shifts from last year appear at the lower end of the sales spectrum. Only 3% of respondents report a sales decline of 10% or more—down from 13% in 2024. But that doesn’t mean everyone experienced strong growth: 20% report flat sales, a six-point increase over last year. Among those who saw no growth or a loss, some point to a soft freight demand environment as keeping sales muted. Meanwhile, growth in customer base this year is very similar to 2024: 11% of respondents say their customer base increased 20% or more—matching last
year—and 5% report growth at the 15% threshold, down 2 points from 2024. Of interest, only 2% indicate a drop of 10% or more to their customer base, the smallest number in the past three surveys. Profits are decidedly up among respondents, with 69% reporting profit of some kind in the most recent measurement period, a jump of nine points from one year ago. That includes 16% seeing growth of 20% or more, a full seven points higher than 2024. Only 5% of respondents saw profits drop by 10% or more—down from 13% last year. While inflation pressured margins, many credit gains to improved eciency through technology and automation. n
78 Inbound Logistics • July 2025
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