According to various
studies conducted in the business realm, the coming years may pose a number of
challenges to e-commerce. Where on one hand the tariff wars, regulations and
restrictions have increased, with the rising market in China, the competition has
also increased. The competition will continue to grow as there may be a rise of
new commercial and business actors.
Owing to the increased
competition and the desire to gain a competitive edge in the market, e-commerce
logistics will also be dominated by various new trends in the future.
Previously, the main focus was usually given to the visibility and tracking
only but with the advancement in technology, new ways are being explored in the
logistics field too to keep up with the technological pace of the world The
future of the e-commerce logistics may be ruled by the following new trends:
●
AI and Robotics
●
Blockchain
●
Smart contracts and smart payments
●
Digitization and Automation
● Enhanced
visibility
Though some of these
trends are already being practiced their usage will become essential in the
future for the e-commerce company to succeed. Some of the trends are discussed
below:
Automation in Transportation
Automation being one of
the most powerful technologies in the landscape of the e-commerce delivery system streamlines the
whole logistics process and lowers the need for manual assistance. With the
help of the latest automation technologies, the whole shipping process has
become easier and efficient as:
●
The deliveries have become quicker
●
Through predictive analysis, pre-emptive measures can
be taken
●
The choice prediction can be made
● Transportation
and inventory have become automated
Investors and business
owners from various parts of the world take the help of freight forwarders to
ship their products. Freight forwarders can assist in managing,
coordinating and conducting the shipping of goods via marine, road or rail.
From the confirmation of order to the delivery of the products, all can be
handled by them. The services that the freight forwarders can provide include
the warehouse management, transportation either by sea or air, storage
facilities, the advice in preparing the documents. The safe and timely
transportation of the goods is a responsible task of the freight forwarders.
For that, it is advisable that they incorporate the latest technology in the
transportation process.
Many transportation
vehicles are customized in a way that they can safely carry
temperature-sensitive goods. Furthermore, new ideas are being proposed to fully
automate transportation in the logistics field. With the incorporation of technology,
the vehicles would analyze the traffic-related data and reroute by choosing the
best alternate route to avoid any delays. Truck Platooning has been introduced
in many places which enables one truck to guide a group of trucks. These
machines are able to communicate with one another. This, in turn, would save a
lot of fuel and time.
Mobile-Friendly Environment
For the last few years,
there has been a boom in the smartphone market and a rise in human dependency
on mobiles. They prefer to do everything on their phones. From social media and
watching movies and trailers to keeping a schedule or record, everything is
being done on the mobiles. Moreover, they prefer to shop for things through
their phones too. Getting everything on a single website and the benefit of
things being delivered to the doorstep is something hard to avoid.
With the technological
advancement, the customers can make online payments through their mobiles.
Along with that, the various software can allow the customer to keep track of
the product. The customer service is also being improved in this sector as the
automated chat-bots and voice-bots can communicate with the customers in
various languages. Therefore, it is important for retailers to invest in
mobile-friendly technology to enhance the customer experience.
Blockchain and Smart Technologies
One of the revolutionary
trends in e-commerce logistics is the integration of the blockchain
in the supply chain. Blockchain having decentralized data structures offer
solutions to some of the biggest logistics problems.
●
It assists in keeping an eye on the whole logistics
process.
●
Along with the physical flow, it helps keep the record
of the information and the financial flows too.
●
Digital contracts have the ability to operate and
function with more speed, autonomy, and transparency. Due to which there
remains no need of the third-party logistics to verify the contract.
●
With speedy payments and transparency, timely and
efficient deliveries are made.
●
Due to its inherent quality of immutability, it becomes
impossible to change the data so the chances of cheating and counterfeiting are
reduced making the whole process error-free.
● Any
change made in the supply chain is shared with all the participatory parties so
transparency is maintained.
SAAS & CLOUD Computing
The use of this software
is taking over the logistics companies. The SaaS software and cloud computing
being great at working together add to the flexibility and help save the cost
of cloud services. This personalized technology is becoming popular in
e-commerce as it can make the clients feel special and give them interesting
offers. This software can allow companies to share data with their customers.
By using chat-bots and twenty-four-hour customer support, the queries of the
customers are answered and their problems can be solved. For showing loyalty,
the customers can be offered leverages and rewards. Hence, it improves customer
service.
AI and Robotics to Revolutionize Logistics
The current AI spring is in action and is ruling the lives
of humans. This trend is also essential in e-commerce logistics in order to
solve various problems and to increase operational efficiency. Organizations
are looking for ways to digitize themselves. The robots have for long assisted
the humans in handling larger amounts of products and for storing, packaging,
assortment and arrangement of the goods. Thus they help save both cost and
effort and time.
The application of AI can
do a great number of things in making the operations of logistics efficient. It
can help in the recognition of gestures and automation of the various logistics
processes. Through omnichannel, the capacities of the transport can be
assessed. New solutions are being offered to add speed and efficiency to the
delivery. For example, the use of drones is being adopted by various companies
along with many self-driving transport delivery systems.
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