Grocery Transport and Food Logistics Trends to Know

Grocery transport demand increases during summer harvest months.

People eat, no matter what current market conditions exist or what economic hurdles lie ahead. Food, beverages, and related perishable goods will always be in demand. That’s why efficient and reliable grocery transport is vital to the foundation of local markets and national grocery retailers.

Consumers want speed and convenience in grocery direct consolidated transportation. The pandemic accelerated that demand. According to Food Dive, the functional beverage market alone could hit more than $158.3 billion in value in 2023.

Current trends that shape the grocery transport and food logistics industry emerged during the pandemic. As the busy season for fresh produce transportation arrives, many new trends in grocery preferences persist. Any challenges arising from new customer grocery preferences may be exacerbated by rising global food concerns amid political conflict.

Curbside Pickup And Grocery Transport Options

At the pandemic’s height, grocery stores faced shutdowns, decreased hours, worker shortages, and supply shortages. During this time of great uncertainty, innovative grocery transport options were born.
Customers searching for goods for delivery or convenient low-contact pickup led to curbside services, delivery, and online ordering. These capabilities became an expectation rather than merely an option. Meeting these goods delivery needs positions companies to maintain a competitive edge. Organizations will also reinforce customer loyalty by listening to their needs.

Renewed Focus Toward Final Mile Delivery

With so much demand and potential for significant growth, it is no wonder grocery logistics, along with food and beverage transport, remain critical factors for grocery retail delivery services.

When supply lines are complete, and shortages are rare, it is easy to overlook final mile delivery, grocery transport, and freight reconciliation services.

But when every item counts and any loss is devastating, prioritize the last leg of delivery to make sure it goes without a hitch. Completing the final leg of the journey keeps fresh produce on the shelf where it belongs.

Distributors Who Can’t Adapt Will Struggle to Keep Up

Grocery transport is as old as country supply shops and corner stores. There has always been healthy competition in the market. But the way delivery issues can impact supply chains has changed tremendously, especially in the wake of current global upheavals.

Suppliers and distributors who can’t adapt to innovations in grocery logistics will struggle to keep pace with their competition. Success with goods delivery services is dependent on adapting to change, listening to consumers, and getting on board with the latest logistics freight technologies.

Combined Shipping Modes and Methods Are Often Necessary

With global disruption and supply chain upheaval over the past few years, grocery direct consolidated transportation services have become a driving force. Improved grocery transport options and enhanced food and beverage transport opportunities affect the market.

Combining reefer and specialty shipping modes and methods becomes necessary to get products delivered in high-quality condition. Utilizing temperature control, monitoring, tracking, packaging, and other advances is essential for successful shipping from the first to the final mile.

Grocery Goods Delivery Relies on Innovation and Automation

Automation is critical for ongoing productivity and success with grocery transport.

According to Food Logistics, the industry can “expect to see significant growth of AI in logistics. Infoholic Research predicted 42.9% CAGR growth over the next two years, with the market reaching $6.5 billion by 2023, as AI is exploited to drive scale and efficiency of new distribution models.”

Improving grocery logistics transportation solutions keep deliveries fast and profitable. Artificial intelligence and machine learning processes handle the manual dirty work and leave the human-focused work to the pros.

Enhance Your Grocery Transport With MercuryGate

Grocery transport success largely depends on finding the right carrier or driver, the appropriate mode of freight transportation, and navigating the space between Point A and Point B as efficiently as possible.

When distributors have goods for delivery, and when local vendors and companies need food, beverages, produce, and grocery items delivered, success comes down to keeping costs low and profits high.

Partnering with an industry expert makes the entire process much more streamlined from start to finish. To learn more about how we help support grocery transport logistics, be sure to read our grocer use case study.

Download our Sprouts Case Study.

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