Plan, procure, execute, & track transportation for every shipment across your supply chain & logistics operations
A SaaS solution to help grow your business by achieving 100% perfect order execution at high volumes
Increase vehicle capacity utilization and customer promise adherence
Grow your business with omnichannel presence and automated pickups
Consolidate shipments for hub to hub movement across land and air
Real-time customer communications and collect accurate PODs
Orchestrate logistics operations with multiple 3rd party carriers
Achieve cost effective, scalable, sustainable, and customer centric deliveries
Orchestrate all your cross-border logistics operations with ease
Improve address accuracy, ensure first-attempt delivery success, reduce costs and boost customer experience
Gain end-to-end shipment visibility, get proactive alerts, and send customers live tracking links
Grow business in a dynamic world and manage operations across First, Middle & Last mile
Delight customers by seamlessly managing store and online orders across own fleet and 3rd party
Reduce freight costs & get end to end visibility across shipments
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According to Research and Markets, the freight and logistics industry of Singapore is set to experience an 8% average growth rate during the period of 2022-27. Furthermore, with the introduction of 5G networks, the development of advanced digital infrastructure, and payment systems, the e-commerce sales volume of Singapore is expected to reach $13.48 billion in 2027, which is more than double the e-commerce revenue in 2021.
As a significant transshipment hub with openings into critical geographical areas, Singapore has strengthened its status as a major global logistics hub. Yet, this makes it vulnerable to any changes in the global shipping industry. Especially during the pandemic, the disturbances in the global manufacturing sector were clearly reflected here. Moreover, according to McKinsey & Company, in Singapore, last-mile delivery costs account for about 50% of the total shipping cost.
However, with the aid of intelligent logistics software in Singapore, businesses can improve their logistics operations and supply chain management. The infusion of technology in logistics management will improve its operational efficiency and cut down unnecessary costs.
In this article, we will learn about the logistics management challenges in Singapore, how technology can help businesses overcome those hurdles, and the features of logistics software that will make them all possible.
Logistics management is a process of planning, implementing, and controlling several procedures to ensure that the goods are stored and moved from their origins to their final destinations in the most efficient way possible. This involves multiple processes and activities, such as inventory control, warehouse management, planning supply & demand, raw material accumulation, etc.
It is an integral part of the supply chain processes, which has the goal of decreasing a business’s overall operational costs while maximizing customer satisfaction. Logistics management does it by optimizing the delivery process and avoiding disruptions.
Logistics management is crucial because it helps improve customer experiences, improve warehouse management, reduce operational costs, ensure seamless deliveries, and much more. Businesses can leverage the in-built AI routines for intelligent route planning, operational scalability, risk management, and enhancing visibility for the success of supply chain processes. All this helps deliver delightful customer experiences and boost business profitability as well.
Before we dive into the deeper waters, let us have a quick look at the various challenges that are driving the need for smart logistics software solutions in Singapore.
Logistics management is an essential component for faster deliveries and efficient operations of the e-commerce industry. However, many companies still haven’t optimized their logistics processes to meet the fast-evolving demand for parcel delivery and supply chain operations. The delivery fleets are operating below their capacities. Meanwhile, poor route planning and lack of shipment tracking are making on-time deliveries difficult.
Let’s take a look at some of the glaring logistics management challenges that retail and eCommerce companies are facing these days.
With more and more people buying goods online, companies in Singapore need their logistics departments to be more efficient than ever. Digitizing logistics operations is one of the best ways to make them efficient, faster, and more resilient.
However, the logistics industry is adapting to new changes at a snail’s pace, leaving more room for greater chances of unforeseen e-commerce supply chain disruption. Also, the high cost involved with digital transformation holds back small and medium-sized brands.
Today making logistics sustainable is one of the biggest challenges of logistics management. The logistics industry is looking forward to decreasing environmental footprints like carbon emissions, accidents, and other factors that might disrupt the logistics procedure in the long term.
With the slow adoption of smart logistics software in Singapore, businesses are finding it harder to keep track of their delivery vehicles and logistics operations. Distance traveled to make successful deliveries are often missed out. The chances of empty miles increase significantly. Multiple rides by delivery personnel with less than optimum loads become common in the absence of transparent oversight. These combine to make achieving sustainable logistics incredibly difficult.
The lack of skilled human resources is one of the biggest hurdles to achieving a perfect logistics management system. In Singapore, the demand for technically trained manpower has only increased in the last few years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, there just aren’t enough qualified people, making the existing employees overwork which is reducing the overall logistics department’s efficiency.
Another fallout of increasing competition is the lack of riders/drivers. For most logistics operations, especially in the last mile, drivers depend largely on experience to facilitate deliveries. The absence of prior knowledge regarding traffic conditions mostly leads to drawn-out and inefficient deliveries.
Although the emergence of IoT and many other tracking technologies is rapid, many Singapore shipping and e-commerce companies are still using manual tracking methods, leaving the delivery process languishing.
Many organizations are still using spreadsheets and multiple software, which is responsible for decreasing workforce productivity. What they need right now is an all-around logistics software in Singapore that makes it possible to track parcels in real-time from a single dashboard.
The lack of technology adoption made finding the best route to deliver shipments to their destinations a big challenge for companies operating in Singapore. Many organizations are still relying on manual route planning. This fails to take into account the dynamic nature of traffic and road conditions.
Such traditional methods make it almost impossible to optimize the routes mid-delivery in the cases of unexpected circumstances, leading to delayed shipments.
Ensuring on-time deliveries has become a big challenge for the retail and eCommerce industry in Singapore. The lack of shipment visibility, delayed logistics operations, manual route optimization, and the massive disruption in the supply chain due to the pandemic are a few of the major reasons.
Poor shipment and resource management are also affecting other industries. For example, these days, customers have to wait for up to 12 months to get their hands on the new Tesla models. Smartphone deliveries are also getting delayed because of the lack of efficient supply chain and logistics operations.
The supply chain and logistics management operations start with the manufacturing process and come to a close when the end customer gets the final product. But many businesses in Singapore suffer from poorly integrated communication networks.
Because of it, the communication between different levels of logistics management becomes fragmented, leading to subpar business operations. Businesses need solid logistics management software in Singapore to improve their operational efficiency. Also, lack of communication with customers ends up causing confusion over ETAs leading to failure in the first attempt at delivery.
The lack of operational efficiency, fragmented communication, and poor tracking and route planning solutions end up increasing operational costs. The fleets don’t utilize their full capacity. Delivery vehicles end up going through long routes with underutilized carrying capacity, adding up fuel costs.
As modern technology and software are increasingly finding applications in the logistics industry in Singapore, companies are able to transform their logistics management to become more efficient and cost-effective. Let’s take a look at how smart technology-based solutions like Shipsy can transform logistics management in Singapore.
With the latest technologies like logistics software, businesses in Singapore can effortlessly manage end-to-end delivery operations, including the first, mid, and last mile. It includes managing the warehouse, tracking the shipment’s condition from inventory to pick up, and finally delivering the product to its destination.
AI-powered logistics tracking software in Singapore would enable businesses to create a data-driven supply chain and logistics model via actionable insights, automated task allocations, etc. Hence, the logistics stakeholders can make better decisions and take the right actions for processes and operations that are vulnerable to inefficiencies.
Measuring various performance metrics or KPIs regarding 3PLs, routes, delivery vehicles, and drivers is an important element that helps businesses manage logistics in a cost-efficient manner. Using the latest 3PL and logistics management technologies, retail and shipping companies can measure those KPIs and transform their business to be more efficient and cost-effective.
Understanding what is happening in the logistics and shipping operations and fixing the errors in the management in real time is critical for any business to run smoothly. Modern 3PL and logistics management solutions allow companies to achieve real-time tracking and visibility, leading to smooth logistics and delivery operations.
All stakeholders who are a part of the logistics and delivery operations must be on the same page to ensure that the goods are being flown seamlessly through the supply chain and are reaching the customer as soon as possible at a minimal cost. With modern logistics software in Singapore, stakeholders can easily communicate and collaborate with each other to ensure efficient business operations.
Customers want to have real-time delivery updates about their shipments so they would have a clear idea of their orders’ ETAs. With proper logistics management and tracking platform, retailers can provide their customers with real-time delivery updates. This will keep the customers happy, and businesses can save a lot of time and money on customer support needs.
Latest technological advancements and digitization allow businesses to optimize routes in real-time and use automated route planning. The software plan the routes using intelligent AI algorithms that analyzes delivery locations, inventory, driver skills, weather, traffic congestion, and many other factors to suggest and plan the perfect delivery routes.
As businesses started adopting new technologies for automated route planning, it helped the companies deliver more shipments by traveling fewer miles. This saved the companies a huge amount of money in fuel costs, vehicle repair expenses, accidental damage costs, and much more. Efficient logistics and delivery management ultimately contribute to minimizing the overall operational costs.
Manually managing redundant yet time-consuming tasks like assigning shipments to the drivers, sorting out inventory, and tracking shipments that came out of warehouses waste a lot of manpower, decreasing the overall efficiency of the logistics department. With intelligent logistics software in Singapore, businesses can automate many of these redundant operations, so the employees can focus on more important tasks.
The lack of real-time delivery tracking solutions makes it difficult for businesses to provide customers with real-time ETAs for shipment delivery. This led to many complications, like customers not being at home, forcing the logistics department to re-attempt deliveries that cost additional charges.
Using intelligent logistics tracking solutions, businesses can provide customers with accurate ETAs, which increases the first-attempt delivery success rates.
With hundreds of companies offering similar logistics management services, it’s difficult to decide what kind of software a business should be looking to work with. Here’s a list of must-have features for the best logistics management software in Singapore. Take a look to understand more about the essential requirements in every logistics solution:
The automated logistics platforms need data from the companies’ ERP/OMS/WMS/CMS systems to provide data-driven, actionable, and accurate insights and solutions. This is exactly why if the software isn’t able to integrate with a business’s database, it would be nothing but a useless business expense.
Therefore, before selecting logistics software in Singapore, make sure that it’s compatible with the company’s ERP/OMS systems. This way, the logistics solution can seamlessly integrate and better manage logistics operations via automation. It helps speed up the delivery process, brings in more transparency, and reduces overall operational costs.
Manually assigning tasks to the fleets is a tiring job that takes a lot of time. Also, it’s extremely inefficient, especially if a business deals with many urgent orders and dispatches.
So, intelligent logistics management software comes with an auto dispatch management feature that automatically assigns the delivery tasks to the available drivers quickly. The solution will take the drivers’ skills, terrains, drivers’ delivery histories, and destinations to assign the delivery tasks to the best driver available.
The best logistics software in Singapore must be able to utilize machine learning algorithms to automate route planning and optimize it in real-time based on a variety of internal and external factors.
The application must be able to optimize the delivery route live, depending on the weather condition, remaining delivery destination, traffic conditions, available routes, etc. These variables can be defined by the businesses operating in a particular geographical area, keeping in mind local constraints.
The best logistics management platforms almost always include features for tracking packages in real-time. From carrier transit providing live freight visibility to automated shipment updates to the end customers, the software should be able to provide this information.
If the shipment is delayed due to traffic or issues with customs clearance, the system will auto-alert designated stakeholders with the required reasons as well as a new ETA. The geofencing and geotracking capabilities help reduce the chances of unplanned stoppages and diversions by the riders.
The logistics management software in Singapore should be able to utilize automated route planning and real-time tracking features to provide customized delivery alerts to the customer. This way, if there is a delay in delivery due to bad weather conditions, traffic congestion, or other reasons, the customers will get automated notifications with updated ETAs.
Similarly, if the customer wishes to alter the delivery window, the software provides an intuitive interface to put in the request. This also alerts the delivery personnel about updated delivery requirements.
The best logistics management solutions use features like barcode management and tracking as well as electronic signature features to collect proof of delivery once the delivery of the shipment is confirmed.
This way, companies can keep track of the shipments that have been successfully delivered. It also helps reduce the chances of dubious customers making fake attempts to claim missing or failed deliveries.
A company must collect customer feedback on a regular basis to understand customer pain points and improve its business operations to deliver better results.
The logistics management software should be able to collect customer feedback and analyze them to present data-driven insights. This also auto-triggers status updates to stakeholders and allows a direct line of communication via Whatsapp, Email, or SMS.
Shipsy offers end-to-end logistics management software that helps businesses across multiple industries reduce shipping costs, automate logistics procedures, and achieve real-time tracking of goods delivered via ocean, air, road, and rail track.
The AI-powered logistics management platform can seamlessly integrate with all ERP/OMS/CRM platforms to grant businesses agile capabilities like domestic and cross-border logistics, billing, shipment tracking, 3PL management, and more.
The module-based architecture allows for a greater extent of customization of features as required by the enterprises. This makes the platform inherently scalable, allowing businesses to include more features as and when required.
With Shipsy’s intelligent logistics software, our clients have experienced the following:
Request a demo today to see how Shipsy’s logistics solution can help a business increase its logistics management efficiency and decrease operating expenses.
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