(Expansion) – The high migration of activities to the digital world in recent years has benefited many industries, among them we can highlight electronic commerce. On the one hand, companies that already had a virtual presence saw how their sales increased through these platforms, on the other, new competitors emerged, from large companies to small businesses that bet on the Internet to boost their activity.
According to the , 48% of SMEs started selling online due to the arrival of the pandemic.
In addition to the growth of e-commerce , the logistics industry has also experienced unprecedented development that, although it has not stopped yet, is constantly evolving, which is undoubtedly a challenge for companies specialized in it. Although there have been many transformations, I highlight four points that, I consider, are extremely critical.
In the first place is the adaptation to new customer demands such as shipments in 24 hours or less, as well as having national coverage. Although the great references of e-commerce such as Amazon or Mercado Libre have this section covered, many others, especially new or small businesses, are still looking for that logistics ally that meets the needs of current buyers.
Adaptation is not only for customers, it should also be for new ways of selling online. Currently, there are more and more e-commerce platforms available on the market and, sometimes, companies have a presence in more than one, so logistics services now have the mission of creating robust technological systems that collect information from several sources in one place and thus facilitate processes.
But that’s not all, with the urgency to maintain operations during the pandemic and, therefore, generate income, companies, especially SMEs, did not resort to setting up an online store but to use instant messaging applications to make online transactions. online buying and selling, giving way to the so-called c-commerce or conversational commerce, adding a new challenge to solve, how to incorporate these sales into existing systems?
Another issue to address, and I would dare to say that it should be one of the priorities for all the players in logistics and e-commerce , is the environmental impact. Everyone in this industry must ask themselves what actions can be taken to reduce damage to the environment? For many, the answer could be in electric cars, however, in economic terms it is not a viable option for the vast majority.
The last point is about reverse logistics, that is, the returns process. According to the AMVO, 25% of people who buy online have made a return of an Internet purchase. Although among the reasons for carrying out this process there are some that are not the responsibility of the logistics provider, there are many others such as damage to the products, incorrect shipments or delivery dates incompatible with the buyers, which can be solved because they generate economic losses for sellers and contribute to a negative impact on the environment.
The trend points to e-commerce continuing to grow in Mexico and the world, therefore, logistics will not stop changing; therefore, as in recent years, having technology as an ally can make a difference.
Editor’s note: Juan Altamirano is one of the co-founders of clicOH. Before that, he created the Delinova textile company. Follow him on . The opinions published in this column correspond exclusively to the author.
