Businesses in the logistics industry are preparing for a frantic holiday season despite global supply chain issues impacting retailers.
The third edition of the CartonCloud Logistics Index interviewed 31 businesses about operating conditions, workforce and hiring outlook, growth, opportunities and challenges.
To meet the challenges of soaring demand, around two thirds of respondents say will hire new staff or increase capacity of their fleets and warehouses.
Other respondents are looking to invest in third party providers and new technology to prepare for the busy end to 2021. 32.1 per cent are looking at increasing operating hours, while around half want to invest in technology to cope with end-of-year demand.
Vincent Fletcher, CartonCloud Chief Executive Officer says the increase over the next few months would continue the momentum that had been building in Australia’s logistics industry since the onset of the pandemic.
“Logistics businesses are making substantial investments to ensure goods are delivered to customers quickly in the lead up to Christmas,” Vincent says.
“Whether it’s shipping the latest products or transporting beer or fresh prawns, Christmas is always a massive time of year for the logistics industry.
“The global supply chain issues have failed to dampen the confidence of the industry and almost all businesses are preparing for a boom this holiday season. The results of the index point towards an industry capitalising on economic conditions with strong confidence for the rest of the year and beyond.”
“Logistics businesses have adapted to supply and demand challenges since the pandemic began and have planned ahead for this coming holiday season,” he adds.
“However, given how busy warehouse and transport business expect to be, consumers should get the holiday shopping started as early as possible. Shoppers can avoid the worst delays by shopping early, being prepared to pick an alternative product if it is out of stock, and exploring both online and in-store options.”