The past several years in the logistics industry have featured more transformational change than in perhaps the previous century, and the full effects of this are just beginning. The maturation of globalization, the exponential rise of e-commerce, the constant threat of technology disruption, and, most recently, the coronavirus pandemic have fundamentally shifted the entry costs of doing business in the 21st century. As we sit down to reflect on trends in logistics  past, present, and future – one truth becomes abundantly clear: Logistics is entering a transformative decade. 

From cloud computing to collaborative robotics, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, logistics professionals have had to make sense of wave after wave of disruptive technology, driving higher levels of digital maturity. The rapid growth of e-commerce still represents only a fraction of global consumer retail spending. Business-to-business e-commerce is expected to follow suit, and dwarfs the consumer market size by a factor of three. The pandemic has contributed to the acceleration of both e-commerce growth and supply chain innovation agendas. Key digital moves to scale and adopt new technology will ultimately determine industry leadership positions in the future.