Mobile technology easing COVID-19 burden on T&L industry

Mobile and IoT management solutions provider SOTI has revealed that 56% of Australian transportation and logistics (T&L) businesses believe having a mobile-first strategy in place has helped them upscale operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority (70%) of Australian T&L companies also said that having an effective mobile-first strategy in place for last-mile delivery had benefited their business by reducing their operational costs. Out of those who did not have this in place already, 91% of businesses said that a mobile-first strategy would deliver their business cost savings.

Michael Dyson, Vice President of Sales (APAC) at SOTI, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic created an enormous surge in e-commerce demand and increased expectations for quick delivery, presenting a significant challenge for the global T&L industry.

“Under this heavy pressure, the importance of having mobile technology deployed has risen, not only as a way to ease the COVID-19 burden, but also to help T&L businesses to improve their operational efficiency and remain resilient in the future,” said Dyson.

Although many Australian T&L businesses had mobility in place that could help them quickly upscale to meet escalated demands, the survey found that there are still areas for further improvement, with 46% of Australian T&L businesses saying they would benefit from having improved real-time support for mobile devices in the field during COVID-19. An additional 36% said their legacy systems and use of outdated technology prevented their organisation from sufficiently upscaling operations during the pandemic.

“Having an advanced mobile-first strategy in place within T&L operations is clearly the differentiator between coming out on top or sinking under the pressure of high demand and losing out to competitors in the process. Our research demonstrates that it’s not enough to just have any mobile technology in place — it’s vital to have the most up-to-date technology and a mobility strategy in place to maintain strength within the market, particularly during a pandemic,” said Dyson.

Amid the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, 32% of Australian T&L businesses stated that their main business priority going forward is to improve efficiency by integrating or growing their mobile-first strategy. Dyson noted that implementing a solid mobile-first strategy could help T&L businesses strengthen their overall standing, minimising overhead costs, gaining valuable insight into operations, and improving speed and productivity rates to match unprecedented demand.

“While COVID-19 has put the T&L industry to the ultimate test, it can also be seen as a significant learning curve for businesses to build resilience with the latest advanced technology,” said Dyson.

Arlington Research, an independent market research agency, conducted 450 interviews amongst IT managers, IT directors, senior management and C-suite in the T&L vertical across Canada, the US, the UK, Germany, Sweden and Australia. All respondents work in companies with 50 or more global employees.

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