Retail Asia 2018 RA AUG2018_Online | Page 22

LOGISTICS More than half of logistics firms expect parcels to be delivered under two hours by 2028: study By 2021, handheld mobile computers with barcode scanners will be used by 99% of respondents for omni-channel logistics, according to Zebra Technologies. “DRIVEN by the always-connected, tech-savvy shopper, retailers, manufacturers and logistics companies are collaborating and swapping roles in uncharted ways to meet shoppers’ omni-channel product fulfilment and delivery expectations,” said Yvonne Lim, South-east Asia Channels lead, Zebra Technologies, commenting on the results of the Asia-Pacific edition of the company’s Future of Fulfilment Vision Study. Analysing how manufacturers, transportation and logistics firms and retailers are preparing to meet the growing needs of the on-demand economy, the study revealed that 67% of logistics companies expect to provide same-day delivery by 2023 and 55% anticipate delivery within a two-hour window by 2028. In addition, 96% of survey respondents expect to use crowdsourced delivery or a network of drivers who choose to complete a specific order by 2028. Seven in 10 executives surveyed agree that more retailers will continue to turn stores into fulfilment centres that accommodate product returns. By 2023, 99% of retailers plan to implement in-store click and collect to allow a more seamless fulfilment process. However, 92% of the respondents cited capital investment and operating costs of implementing an omni-channel operation as a key challenge. Only 42% of supply chain respondents reported operating at an omni-channel level today. In contrast, an estimated 73% of consumers shop across multiple channels. In Asia-Pacific, 93% of respondents agreed that accepting and managing product returns remain a challenge. Reverse logistics remain underdeveloped and significant opportunities for improvement remain. Today, 58% of retail respondents add a surcharge for returns, and 71% have no plans to change this in the future. “Zebra’s Future of Fulfilment Vision Study found that 95% of survey respondents in Asia-Pacific agreed that e-commerce is driving the need for faster delivery. In response, companies are turning to digital technology and analytics to bring heightened automation, merchandise visibility and business intelligence to the supply chain to compete in the on-demand consumer economy,” Lim shared. Future-oriented decision-makers revealed in the report that next- generation supply chains will reflect connected, business-intelligence and automated solutions that will add newfound speed, precision and cost- effectiveness to transportation and labour. Surveyed executives expect the most disruptive technologies to be drones, driverless/autonomous vehicles, wearable and mobile technology, and robotics. ra GoGoVan secures US$250m in funding ON-DEMAND ride sharing service provider GoGoVan has raised US$250 million in the first phase of its new round of funding, according to media reports. The company has indicated that it could continue fundraising for a second phase of this financing round as there has been strong interest by other investors. The recent funding was led by venture capital firm InnoVision Capital along with other investors such as Cainiao (the logistics affiliate of Alibaba Group), Russia-China Investment Fund, Hongrun Capital, Qianhai Fund of Funds and 58 Daojia Group. 20 Retail Asia August 2018 GoGoVan enables last-mile, point- to-point delivery through a mobile and Web app. The platform bridges consumers and businesses directly with drivers for their real-time logistic needs. Established in Hong Kong in 2013, GoGoVan has a network of more than 74,000 commercial vehicles and 100,000 registered drivers. It is present in 13 cities in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Taiwan, South Korea and India. ra GoGoVan has over 1.3 million app downloads and a driver network of 150,000.