Global logistics service provider, Geodis and IT firm Accenture Interactive, a subsidiary of Accenture, have recently launched a report focusing on the recent surge and challenges present in the e-commerce industry.
The study found out that, to maintain successful e-commerce business operations, key logistics capabilities are needed to be built and maintained but very few e-commerce players have actually managed to implement them.
Globally, around 200 European and American logistics companies took part in the study and discussed about their e-commerce related expectations for growing their brands’ sales.
The study is a confirmation of what many of us within the industry already suspected ─ that forced lockdowns courtesy of pandemics drove the masses to ecommerce platforms to supplement their usual spending in brick and mortar outlets.
Marie-Christine Lombard, CEO, Geodis said in a statement, “This study takes stock of the ambitions and concerns of European and American companies facing a rapid increase in ecommerce. If they want to take advantage of the rise in online sales, they must develop omnichannel logistics strategies tailored to their maturity levels.”
According to the study, “Prior to the crisis, companies were making just 34 per cent of their yearly sales through online portals (28 per cent on average in marketplaces and 6 per cent on their own websites), which increased to a staggering 65 per cent during lockdown ─ split at 38 per cent via marketplaces and 27 per cent on the companies own website. Apparently, this was far more noticeable in European countries, where 40 per cent of the brands surveyed estimate that sales lost due to COVID-19 will exceed 15 per cent of their earnings on average.”
Sohel Aziz, Managing Director, Accenture Interactive also said, “Many brands use marketplaces as a one-stop-shop for selling their products online. This allows them to reach a wide audience and compensate for a lack of resources and logistical infrastructures, all while providing an expected customer experience.”
