Since the outbreak, more than one-third of us have started or increased our online grocery shopping. How has this affected the already difficult world of logistics? We’ll take a look at that later.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, have you changed the way you buy groceries, clothes, and medicine? If this is the case, you are not alone.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck earlier this year, global trade quickly stalled. Countries closed their borders, and international shipping plummeted. Simultaneously, the efforts to combat COVID-19 through lockdowns and social distancing increased the demand for quick online consumption and quick home delivery. In fact, since the pandemic began, more than one-third of consumers have begun or increased their online grocery shopping.
Digital transformation in the media industry has given consumers instant access to whatever content they desire. A plethora of streaming services, combined with the rapid development of high-speed connectivity infrastructure, enable media-hungry consumers to watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster and independent short films from the most remote corners of the globe.
In a matter of seconds, you can follow the glamorous lives of global celebrities, listen to a song by a platinum-selling rock star, or even a bootleg recording by a little-known artist. In short, today’s consumers have become accustomed to instant “anywhere, anytime” access. Everything is available at the click of a button in a digital world.
However, not all content is available in digital form.
Products must still be shipped to their destinations using trucks, trains, airplanes, and ships in the non-digital world. However, because the digital “instant-access society” has been so successful, consumers now expect instant access for physical deliveries as well.
Logistics in the event of a pandemic
The role of fulfillment centers and warehouses is likely to evolve further. However, while some storage is absorbed by other parts of the supply chain, one of the lessons learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is that critical goods and materials, such as ventilators, alcohol sanitizer, and face masks, will likely require local storage in the future.
As a result, the future of logistics must be more than just a slimmed-down, cost-cutting, “just-in-time” delivery of goods. In fact, 86 percent of the companies in the study plan to use on-demand warehousing in the next three to five years, indicating that the need for warehousing will continue – but they do not need to have it in-house. As a result, fulfillment centers and warehouses are likely to remain an important component of the future logistics system
