66 Supply Chain Statistics that Unveil Trends and Predictions

A supply chain is formed by a group of people and businesses responsible for producing a product and getting it to the consumer. Maintaining a supply chain is necessary for efficient distribution of a company’s products or services. Decreased expenses and higher output generated by a well-optimized supply network demonstrate its significance in supply chain management.

Supply chain management saves money on manufacturing costs, prevents raw material shortages, and delivers goods on schedule. Many organizations use supply chain planning software to accelerate processes and manage the entire network better.

Let’s keep reading about supply chain statistics and use these facts to thoroughly understand supply chain management efficiency.

Top supply chain statistics

Companies continually seek methods to improve their supply chain management system to lower the costs associated with manufacturing and purchasing for sellers and manufacturers. A company's logistics requires the precise management of every stage of the supply chain, from customer shipping through inventory control.

These statistics will help you understand how the supply chain is evolving and what companies can expect in the future.

• A compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2% is projected in the global supply chain sector from 2020 to 2027.
• By 2026, the supply chain market's highest CAGR, 12.4%, is expected from the worldwide logistics automation market.
• Before serious difficulties arise, 22% of businesses make sure their end users can quickly manage changes in supply and demand.
• 7% of businesses with an active supply chain business network were found to be very susceptible during the pandemic.
• 2% of merchants experienced significant global interruptions in their supply chains during the COVID-19 crisis.
• 28% of those surveyed experienced shortages and looked for alternate sources of supply.

• 45.1% of businesses see automation as a vital component in the supply chain management sector.
• KPMG predicts that supply chain operations will continue to be disrupted in 2023.
• After the 2020 supply chain disruption, 58.6% of retail supply chain executives plan to invest in omnichannel fulfillment.
• According to the Harvard Business Review, the prolonged conflict in Ukraine and other international disagreements will restrict the world supply chain in 2023.
• 83% of organizations feel that supply chains improve the customer experience.
• Demand for graduates in the supply chain sector will soar in 2023 and 2024.
• Supply chain executives are reevaluating their sourcing strategies in 2023 due to various issues, including geopolitical unrest.

Global trade management statistics 

Trade management refers to how goods and services move from the manufacturer or provider to the end user. It encompasses all activities related to trading goods and services, including strategic planning, executing, tracking, and analysis. 

Trade management software has given a hand to plenty of companies when it comes to handling their operations on a global frontier. Let’s take a look and explore the fascinating trends in the trade management market.

• 90% of worldwide goods are transported via maritime routes.

• The global logistics automation market takes the lead among all supply chain markets, with a projected CAGR of 12.4%.
• Despite starting with a market size of $50.9 billion in 2020, the global logistics automation market, due to its strong CAGR, could balloon up to $82.3 billion by 2026.

Shipping and transportation statistics

Shipping and transportation is a competitive market. If they want to remain competitive, businesses should use the appropriate software to simplify delivering to clients. Additionally, they can use these stats to inform their shipping tactics by analyzing the data.

• Before the end of 2025, transport management systems (TMS) are expected to account for $4.8 billion of the global market.
• Currently, 12% of the world's gross domestic product comprises activities related to transportation and logistics.
• 74% of supply chain organizations use four or more different forms of transportation. 
• If shippers use a TMS, they can reduce the amount of freight invoice payments by 90–95%.
• An 8% reduction in freight expenses can be achieved by relying on transportation management systems.
• For their SCM plans, just 35% of shipping companies employ transportation management systems.
• The dual sourcing of raw materials is planned by 53% of executives.
• Executives intend to raise their crucial product inventories by 47%.
• 15% of companies plan to expand their number of distribution centers.
• 30% of companies say they will scale back the stock keeping units (SKUs) in their product lineups.
• In 2020, the pandemic caused supply chain delays for 38.8% of small companies in the US.

• 6% of businesses claim to have complete supply chain visibility.
• Supply chain businesses predicted a monthly increase of 34% in ships at the port of Shanghai in 2022.
• Turnaround times are unusually long at 77% of ports worldwide.
• By 2028, TMS is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 11.7%.
• 35% of businesses use TMS solutions to manage their transport network.
• The TMS market quickly reached a 3-4% growth rate during COVID-19.
• The logistics sector is predicted to lose $7 billion in revenue by 2025.
• A cloud-based TMS will likely be used by 51% of businesses.
• Between 2022 and 2030, the global transport management system was expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.6%. The expected value of the global TMS market in 2021 was $9.22 billion.
• 50% of vehicles make their way back to warehouses empty. E-commerce and retail are both experiencing simultaneous disruptions.

Inventory management in supply chain statistics

Businesses must enhance their inventory and warehouse management as more of their clients shop online to speed up the purchase process. They can manage inventory shipping, storing, and sorting regularly using inventory control and warehouse management software.

These statistics show how the supply chain helps in inventory management.

• In 43% of cases, small companies don't track their inventories.
• 24% of small business owners use accounting software to track their inventories.
• 21% of small businesses lack an inventory management system.

• 34% of retailers faced late shipment due to out-of-stock items.
• Using integrated order processing for inventory system can improve productivity by 25%, space consumption by 20%, and stock use efficiency by 30%.
• According to 36% of supply chain professionals, optimizing inventory management to balance supply and demand is one of the primary motivations of their analytics strategy.
• Low rates and intense competition may affect carriers, shipping forwarders, and traders as markets gradually adjust to declining demand.

Supply chain technology statistics

Modern companies have seen the positive effect the supply chain has on productivity. The development of automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics has also made it possible for supply chain procedures to be more efficient than before.

These supply chain technology statistics will give you a clear picture of how technology is advancing in supply chain management.

• 50% of companies believe technological advancements have substantially affected the supply chain, logistics, and transportation industries.

• Experts anticipated in 2022 that the global SCM software market will generate $8.5 billion in sales in the same year.
• In the next two years, data analytics will be one of the most critical technologies for supply chain management, according to 40.7% of contemporary businesses.
• 48% of businesses say cost is the main obstacle to technology adoption, followed by return on investment (ROI) estimates (40%) and not knowing where to begin (35%). Additionally, 11% of people report difficulty locating the ideal supplier, and 10% report difficulty handling potential service interruptions.
• SCM software will probably cost $8.08 per person per month on average by 2025. 
• Excel spreadsheets are still the primary operational tool for 46% of supply chain experts. 
• According to supply chain industry research, 63% of organizations have tech solutions in place to track the success of their supply chains.
• The SCM market generated $8.3 million in revenue in 2019. The revenue is expected to increase to $8.4 million in 2020 and $8.9 million in 2024.

Supply chain estimations

Companies are increasing their functional, technological, and employee resources on the supply chain side. Along with mitigating uncontrolled wastages and emissions, digital transformation alone is set up to quickly unlock the industry's treasures.

• Supply chain operations might see a 90% rise in personnel to fulfill client demand.
• The need for last-mile and white-glove services has increased, according to more than 70% of businesses.

• 80% of businesses that rely on third-party logistics (3PL) for cybersecurity measures enjoy its benefits, user-friendly technology solutions, customized enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation, access to real-time data, and technology streamlining logistics.
• More than 30% of businesses struggle to find enough resources to meet demand.
• 94% of companies use supply chain alliances to control peak season spikes.
• 25% of firms don't have precise alignment, which makes it difficult for the supply chain to support any significant objective in the retail industry.
• By 2025, digitization in the logistics sector could unlock $1.5 trillion for logistics operators.
• Profits can almost double if supply chain expenses fall from 9% to 4%.
• 55% of genuine 2000 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will restructure their service supply chains based on AI by 2026.

Keep the supply chain flexible

Businesses can produce as many things as necessary to meet consumer demand because of healthy supply chain management. It helps merchants cut back on storage costs and excess inventory. Sales and marketing success depends on efficient supply chain models that guarantee the appropriate product of the right quality is in your customers’ hands at the right location and time.

The supply chain management beginning-to-end model in the past was rigid. Each link in the supply chain had to be on point to get a product from the raw materials to the consumer. However, the recent disruptions have taught us a valuable lesson – supply chain management method needs to be flexible. 

Learn more about supply chain management for safe and efficient shipping