Weekly Logistics Report
This week's update contains two choice article summaries:
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How can FedEx Surround help companies do better business?
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Less than half of shoppers plan to do in-person shopping post-COVID
Microsoft and FedEx Team Up for Supply Chain Visibility Solution
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Microsoft and FedEx team up to create FedEx Surround
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FedEx Surround allows near real-time shipment tracking
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Microsoft Dynamics owns 7% of the ERP market share, 3 percentage points higher than NetSuite
Commentary
Microsoft and FedEx have teamed up to provide a supply chain visibility solution. The newly announced FedEx Surround provides shippers with near real-time analytics into shipment tracking (down to the ZIP codes). This data will allow shippers to conduct more effective logistics and inventory management, as well as help companies understand trends and patterns in their transportation to inform business decisions.
This level of visibility is especially important for shippers who are processing highly time-sensitive deliveries, while also benefiting regular eCommerce merchants. Insights into packages’ journeys mean companies can intervene early and proactively, avoiding logistical slowdowns before they occur to reduce friction and costs. The feature also allows companies to more effectively manage customer expectations especially with the shipping slowdowns that occur today due to COVID.
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Less Than Half of Shoppers Plan to do In-person Shopping Post-COVID
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Out of 14,500 survey respondents, only 27% plan to return to the mall for in-person shopping
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Companies must start using automation to run warehouse operations that comply with pandemic safety regulations
Commentary
Digital and eCommerce trends are here to stay. Shoppers are unlikely to suddenly revert back to in-person shopping after the pandemic is over. Were you skeptical of online shopping pre-pandemic but cannot live without it now that you’ve learned to love it for its convenience? This is precisely why many shoppers will continue shopping online, and businesses must adapt to these changes as quickly as possible.
A survey conducted by IBM found that out of 14,500 respondents, only 27% plan to return to the mall for in-person shopping post-COVID vaccine. This calls for a hard look at businesses' supply chains. Do you need to start your D2C business, or do you need to scale it up to get a piece of the pie?
How do you scale your D2C operations quickly when employees take time to train? How can you scale your D2C operations with a finite amount of warehouse space when everyone needs to be at least 6 feet apart? Allowing low-level employees to make critical business decisions is a recipe for disaster, on average 1 out of 5 packages are not shipped with the lowest cost carrier due to human error. This is why warehouse management softwares automate critical decisions for your warehouse operations. These softwares not only reduce expensive errors, but can also drastically reduce onboarding time to turn a new hire into a valuable employee. With automated workflows, you will need much fewer employees to run your fulfillment, and can scale up your D2C operations without breaking pandemic safety guidelines.