If I ruled the world...

May 15, 2014

According to the Freight Transport Association's latest research The Logistics Report 2014 the UK leads the world in e-Commerce. Now I don't wish to lessen the value of their research but we could have told you that!

The research identified that 27 per cent of consumers are now shopping online on a weekly basis and predicts that tablet and smart phones will account for 25 per cent of online retail sales by 2017.

Discussing the report PwC who supported the Report said:

"The transport and logistics sector is taking centre stage, increasingly recognised as key to stimulating trade, helping business efficiency and supporting economic growth. In an era of accelerated globalisation, with both business and consumers demanding better transport options, an integrated transport strategy is more important than ever. Getting this right will be key to driving the best return on investment."

It is interesting to see that the logistics element of eCommerce is finally being recognised as a key element of achieving success. Previously the 'delivery' bit has been seen as the detail whereas the sexy bit and the bit everyone got excited about was the technology the website uses to sell the wares.

I am glad that we are finally getting the recognition we deserve in the logistics sector... not just so we can all pat ourselves on the back and get a bit more respect when we tell people what we do for a living but because the logistics element really is key to the success of global eCommerce. Whilst globalisation is great... we are all human beings and we still want to receive things on our own terms. We might want to be able to order an item from a foreign brand but we still want it delivered in a way that is familiar to us, to be able to pay in a currency we have access to and be conversed with in a language we understand.

So the next time you think about the logistics sector (which I am sure is often!) can you add a bit of sparkle to your mental image?