More than two-thirds of executives in commerce and supply chain businesses across North America say their organization’s investment in direct-to-consumer (DTC) has increased over the past three years. In line with this, companies are seeing an increase in DTC sales. Of North American businesses polled, 22% say their DTC sales have increased by more than 50% in the past 12 months. Additionally, forecast growth was overwhelmingly positive; 44% of respondents say that more than 50% of their sales come from DTC channels today.
However, 58% predict this will be the case within three years.
Read also: 4 Ways DTC Brands Can Beat Supply Chain Logjams
These were among the key findings of recent research commissioned by cloud-based omnichannel fulfillment software provider Deposco, polling the views and opinions of 200 senior decision-makers from leading commerce and supply chain organizations across North America.
Underlining the market’s growing maturity, DTC has become one of the top priorities for 82% of businesses surveyed. One key driver of this switch is executives’ desire to better understand the customers they engage with to improve customer outcomes and drive enhanced customer engagement.
Consumer insight is a big focus in North America, where 32% say having access to more customer data to drive business strategy is a top driver of DTC across their industry sector. Creating real-time visibility across all inventory locations to fulfill customer expectations is a main way 35% of the businesses look to protect themselves from failing to fulfill customer expectations when operating DTC.
“By gaining a profound insight into consumer behavior and elevating the customer experience, businesses achieve outstanding results and establish a strong, memorable connection with the customer,” remarks Bill Gibson, CEO of Atlanta, Georgia-based Deposco. “This enhanced relationship reinforces the customer’s inclination to interact and buy from the business, amplifying growth.”
STUDY REVEALS DEPTH OF SUPPLY CHAIN WORKFORCE CRISIS: Descartes release a new study Jan. 30 based on a survey of more than 1,000 supply chain and logistics decision makers that gives an in depth look at the ongoing workforce shortage that the industry is experiencing.
The data quantifies the crisis through multiple lenses: financial performance, customer service levels, peak season operations and more. Topline findings from the poll by the Waterloo, Canada-based logistics and supply chain software company include:
Transportation and warehousing are hurting the most. Labor-intensive roles that keep goods moving are suffering greatly from shortages. Knowledge workers and managers are the hardest positions to fill. Even technology-focused roles are now in high demand. Workers have the upper hand. Fluid labor dynamics mean wages and costs will face major pressure in the years ahead.
The full report is posted at descartes.com.
HONORIFICS: Marine Repair Services-Container Maintenance Corp. of Wilmington, North Carolina, has been racking up awards lately. First and foremost, CEO Vincent J. Marino was handed the Containerization & Intermodal Institute’s prestigious 2023 Connie Award. James Potts, a company terminal manager, was named Operations Professional of the Year by Signal Mutual, and Michael Wojnowski, director of Carolinas Operations, received the 2024 Emerging Leader Award from the Maritime Association of South Carolina. … Speaking of the Connie Awards, the CII presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Emanuel L. Rouvelas, founder of the public policy and maritime law practices of the K&L Gates law firm. … United Seamen Service’s 54th annual Admiral of the Ocean Sea Awards were presented to: Mark W. Baker, president of Interlake Maritime Services; George Pasha IV, president and CEO of The Pasha Group; and Adam Vokac, district and national president of the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association. … Gary Cross, president and CEO of Maher Terminals LLC, is the New York/New Jersey Freight Forwarders & Brokers Association 2024 Person of the Year. … Jean-Claude Delen, former CEO BENELUX and France for DHL Global Forwarding, was inducted into The International Air Cargo Association Hall of Fame. 2023 Sustainability Awards were also dished out by TIACA to Rhode Island electric seaglider maker Regent and Chilean airliner LATAM Cargo. … Georgia State University Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 includes Asadullah Sameer Ismailzada, CEO of AmeriFreight and a 2022 GSU Executive MBA graduate.
… For Alex Frye’s innovative training work, the director of Business Process & Training at ContainerPort Group, a Cleveland, Ohio-based multimodal transportation company, received the Pike’s Peak Award from trainer of trainers The Bob Pike Group. … Rhode Island Commerce Corp. awarded ATA (formerly ATA Freight) its International Trade Council “Go Global” award in the Freight and Logistics category. … Erie, Pennsylvania, transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions company Logistics Plus recognized six less-than-truckload carriers for superior performance in 2023: Dayton Freight (Diamond Award); Pitt Ohio (Titanium Award); Ward Transport & Logistics (Platinum Award); RIST Transport (Gold Award); Estes Express (Silver Award); and Lake Erie Trucking (Bronze Award). … With its SnapControl software that orchestrates all robotic systems and automation devices in one place within a warehouse, Synergy Logistics beat the likes of Coca-Cola HBC to win the Industry 4.0 category at the inaugural Robotics & Automation Awards. … Cary, North Carolina’s Railinc’s TransmetriQ brand was honored at the NC TECH Awards annual gala for advancing technology in the supply chain.
GLOBAL TRADERS ON THE MOVE: Former Congressman Spencer Bachus III (R-Alabama) was appointed to a second term on the Board of Directors of Export-Import Bank of the U.S. … Former Port Everglades CEO Jonathan Daniels is now executive director of the Maryland Port Administration, which oversees the Port of Baltimore. … Celina Zacarias was elected as the first Latina president of the Oxnard Harbor District, which oversees Southern California’s Port of Hueneme. … Manatee (Florida) County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge is the new chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority, which oversees SeaPort Manatee. … Bernhard Kindelbacher was appointed CEO of ACL Airshop, which is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. … Don Ingersoll is the new chief operating officer of RoadOne IntermodaLogistics, a Randolph, Massachusetts intermodal, warehouse and logistics services company. … Angel Rodriguez is the new president of ASF Air, the air cargo division of Charleston, South Carolina global logistics company ASF. … Hudson, Wisconsin, managed transportation solutions provider Valley Companies has a new executive vice president and vice president of finance in Brett Miller and Jennifer Jenkins respectively. … The 2024 Midwest Association of Rail Shippers elected officers are: President Matt O’Kray, Transtar; First Vice President, Steve Blinn, Norfolk Southern Railroad; and Second Vice President, Luke Jones, GATX Corp.
