E-commerce is growing faster than ever, and more consumers are leveraging online platforms in making purchasing decisions. In fact, two-thirds of consumer shopping journeys include internet research, reports McKinsey & Company, as well as word-of-mouth recommendations and past experiences. According to Supply Chain 24/7, e-commerce is on track to become the dominating force in all sales. By 2020, the value of B2B e-commerce will surpass $1 trillion, and manufacturers, distributors, retailers, reverse logistics managers, third-party freight brokers and logistics services providers are working to keep up with the trend.
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E-Commerce Is Spurring Record Growth in Logistics
E-commerce has made it impossible to meet the status quo with traditional technologies, and still, some shippers have not yet implemented e-commerce and TMS solutions. Transportation managers are spending upward of 80 percent of working hours just looking for available shipping capacity, reports Talking Logistics, reflecting a portion of companies that have not leveraged the power of a TMS. Unfortunately, failure to use a TMS contributes to higher freight spend by limiting shipping capacity and forcing shippers to continue with spot rates among carriers. This has the added effect of limiting the number of orders a shipper can fulfill and reducing brand value, creating severe consequences and increasing risk of the Retail Apocalypse coming to the forefront of the e-commerce world for shippers seeking to enter it in the first place.
E-Commerce and TMS Are Key to Success
The use of TMS in e-commerce allows shippers to leverage all modes of transportation, critical during peak shipping times and through the ongoing capacity crunch. A TMS provides an extra opportunity to find the most cost-effective shipping options, and with e-commerce affecting 96 percent of all shippers, the need to leverage the benefits of e-commerce and TMS connectivity. In other words, e-commerce and TMS use must become a single part of an effective logistics strategy.
