3PL MARKET RESEARCH REPORT
3PL OFFERINGS
3PL FINANCIAL PICTURE
Technology Services & Capabilities
During your last measurement period, were the following up or down? SALES
87%
TMS
83%
Visibility
73% 73%
ERP integration
Down 5% or more 3%
No change 12%
Optimization
72%
Up 10% 23%
WMS/WES
70%
Automation
69%
AI
Up 15% 19%
58%
CRM/SRM
Up 5% 23%
Supply chain design (modeling, simulation)
58%
Up 20% 20%
Down 10% or more 0%
51%
Predictive analytics
45%
Control tower
PROFITS
40%
RFID
28% 27%
Down 10% or more 4%
IoT/IIoT enablement
Down 5% or more 5%
Robotics
22%
Up 5% 25%
Global trade management
No change 11%
Special Services Logistics/transportation consulting Direct to store Reverse logistics/product
85%
Up 20% 14%
71% 70%
Up 10% 23%
Up 15% 17%
lifecycle management Ecommerce fulfillment
60% 60%
CUSTOMER BASE
Sustainability/green logistics
46% 46%
Direct to home
Down 5% or more 4%
Down 10% or more 1%
Foreign Trade Zone
Up 15% 10%
40%
Risk management
Up 10% 32%
39%
Labor management
Up 20% 12%
33%
Freight fraud prevention
Marketing/customer service/ call center
26%
21%
Security analysis Global expansion - sourcing/selling
Up 5% 23%
No change 18%
17%
profitability (56%), capacity (52%), technology investment (52%), AI (50%), and tariffs (50%) as major challenges for the sector. Particularly noteworthy is capacity’s arrival in the top 5 as one year ago just 31% of those surveyed identified
it as a key challenge. Also, compliance burdens emerged as a bigger challenge in the field. In 2024 and 2025, 40% and 43% of respondents, respectively, cited regulations as a concern, and this year that number grew to 46%. Heading in the other direction,
costs are among their chief challenges with 66% of respondents citing it as a top concern (see Challenges chart on page 86) . That’s a rosier view than one year ago, though, when 72% of those surveyed listed it. At least half of providers also see cost control/
84 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
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