The shipping and supply chains are slowly returning to normal after the shake-up that was caused by the global pandemic along with worker shortages. While things are looking up, there are still many factors influencing the current situation this year. Staying on top of the latest trends in shipping and supply chains both locally and internationally helps your company to maintain its leadership through the end of 2022 and into the new year.

Utilizing Crowdsourcing and Multiple Delivery Partners

In the past, many small businesses opted to use in-house delivery teams. For example, restaurants, florists and other local companies frequently hired staff specifically to deliver goods to local customers. Now, however, you might find that your business is struggling to hire enough staff to cover an uptick in orders. If so, then partnering with a crowdsourced delivery fleet during busy times might be your best option for overcoming in-house shortages.

Shifting Larger Supply Chains to the Local Level

During the pandemic, many people relied on pick-up and same-day delivery services for products that they once bought online. Now, these same customers know that they don’t have to wait for a week to see paper products and other goods show up on their doorstep. During the past year, more companies have shifted to using software to identify online products that exist within local physical stores. Choosing to ship directly from the store to the customer’s house not only reduces your business’s reliance on third-party delivery companies, but it can also cut the shipping costs across the board.

Anticipating Needs With Supply Chain Management Technology

There’s no excuse for your company to be surprised by sudden consumer trends when you can use predictive analytics to break down data into usable information. Whether your company was caught by surprise during the last round of holiday shopping or you aren’t sure if you need to make plans for outsourcing shipping, you can make it easier to plan for peak seasons by using the latest advances in supply chain management technology to get ready before those orders begin to flow.

Focusing More On Green Logistics

Companies are frequently being held to higher standards by climate change advocacy groups and consumers. Every box that gets shipped uses natural resources that can be harmful to the environment, and the increased demand for shipping has made it more critical than ever before for companies to do their part to reduce the effects of greenhouse gas emissions in the environment. As shipping and supply companies work to build greener warehouses and more eco-friendly fleets, you can expect to see a temporary rise in costs that should slowly stabilize over the upcoming years.

As 2022 moves into the next year, you can expect to see some continued upheaval in the shipping and supply chains. However, the issues are slowly beginning to fade away as new technology ushers in more efficient ways to plan for shipping and supplies during every season. As a small business owner, you can do your part by taking advantage of software that helps you crunch data to develop strategies each quarter that helps you know when to implement a new plan that helps you maintain customer satisfaction.