It is a secret for none, shipping is a crucial component for most organisations. However, it can take many forms and evolve through time, as the constantly changing freight market has shown. 2022 has been a rather eventful year which has caused a fair amount of issues for many shipping businesses. Many companies have struggled to reach their annual estimates due to rising inflation, petrol prices, and supply chain issues that are occurring globally. Retailers have also seen firsthand how crucial inventory management and freight analytics are to maintaining the efficiency of their supply chains in the face of global difficulties.
So after such a crazy year, what should we expect from the shipping world in 2023. Keep reading to find out our predictions!
Shortage of workers
Labour shortages have started to become an issue at the end of 2022 and are likely to intensify in 2023. The leftover impacts of the epidemic as well as ongoing world conflicts are the main causes of the continued bottleneck in the global supply chain. Additionally, it is challenging to load and unload vehicles quickly due to global truck driver shortages.
By collaborating with several carriers, retailers and manufacturers can lessen the consequences of truck driver shortages by having access to enough delivery personnel and trucks in the event of an emergency.
More sustainable shipping
Sustainable shipping is another global trend that is set to grow in 2023. This emerging eco-friendly way to do shipping involves various components, including shortening supply chains and utilising more energy-efficient modes of transportation. For instance, newer ships have a higher tonnage capacity while using less fuel than older ones.
But sustainability encompasses more than just the fuel utilised in transportation. It is also concerned with resource-intensive parts of shipping, such as packaging. For instance, Amazon now sends out consumer shipments in lighter, more compact packaging wherever possible. Because of this, shippers may fit more packages onto the same vehicle, lowering the number of vehicles needed altogether.
Increased accuracy and transparency
Customers are more and more interested in how and when their gets delivered to them. Companies that do not offer tracking and delivery updates are more and more at risk of lowering their reputation as well as losing potential clients to more transparent competitors. Customers will shop elsewhere if you don’t set acceptable expectations for delivery and transparent dialogue about the shipping process. Although free and quick delivery are prioritised by customers, you should nevertheless be completely transparent about the expected delivery times.
Instead of telling customers when an item should arrive, let them know when it’s anticipated. In order to boost positive customer experience in 2023, you need to improve all aspects of delivery communications.
More efficient supply chains
Retailers of all sizes are increasingly adopting a more agile approach to inventory management. Retailers are optimising their shipping and inventory management procedures to balance consumer demand and product availability. Many SMBs and Enterprise-level companies are introducing intelligent inventory management software supported by AI technology. We expect to see a huge rise in AI usage throughout the industry in 2023.
In 2023, it’s expected that several shipping problems, like labour shortages, will persist. But other developments, such as the development of AI and sustainable shipping, ought to lessen some of these difficulties and bring some novelty to the industry.
