Home News Features Compliance

đź•’ Article read time: 2 minutes

Supply chain learnings from the pandemic


The shift to online shopping was already well underway before the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated it, and has continued to grow throughout 2022.

Nine out of ten British grocery shoppers intend to carry on shopping online post COVID-19, according to figures from market research company Mintel. Overall, retail sales volumes fell 1.4% in the month to September 2022 and were 6.9% lower than in September 2021, with the largest month-on-month change in food sales, which have fallen 1.7% since August 2022 as the cost-of-living crisis impacts household budgets.

ONLINE RETAIL SALES BEGIN TO FLATTEN

Online retail sales rose 1.2% in September 2022 compared with August 2022, which may reflect households switching to cheaper products online, where customers are able to price match, in the run-up to Christmas. Online retail sales remain 8.3% lower than in September 2021, with the most significant fall in sales in household goods as consumers cut back on non-essentials.

DELIVERY MARKET RECEIVES SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT

Almost £10 billion was invested into the super-fast delivery market globally over the course of the pandemic. The rise of technology has also played a vital role in switching behaviours, allowing consumers to shop using both apps and the internet across a multitude of devices, resulting in quick and easy purchases. Throughout the growth of internet shopping, customer expectations have also risen, as individuals and businesses expect a faster, more flexible delivery at very little, or no cost. However, rural delivery can be made more efficient and environmentally friendly through a variety of methods. Across the supply chain, learnings can be applied from sectors which have already established their efficiencies in the new trading world, such as clothing and grocery retailers.

SUPERMARKETS INTRODUCE ECO-FRIENDLY DELIVERY SLOTS

Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Morrisons have introduced eco-friendly green delivery slots for their customers in efforts to reduce the carbon footprints of each delivery. The concept works by customers selecting an eco-time slot on checkout, which is indicated by a green van icon, to select a delivery van which is already in the customer’s area, thus making deliveries more fuel efficient. In addition, one-hour delivery timeslots enable customers to pick a time which will suit them, therefore reducing the amount of return trips required due to missed deliveries.

ONLINE GROCER SLASHES VAN EMISSIONS BY A THIRD

Ocado currently has a fleet of 1,700 delivery vans, with the company keeping its diesel-powered vehicles for five years, and electric vehicles for eight years as they will generally operate within urban areas and travel fewer miles each day. Ocado has successfully reduced its vans’ carbon dioxide emissions by 33 per cent from 2012 to 2018. The company also recycles carrier bags (if you hand them back to the driver). Unwanted supplies of food products are donated to food banks and charities. Similarly, Morrisons is committed to recycling its plastic bags, and has pledged to make all of its packaging recyclable by 2025.

Michelle Gardner, Deputy Director – Public Policy, Logistics UK, said: “As society continues the return to ‘normal’ – or the ‘new normal’, as our post-pandemic lives have been designated – it is vital that innovations are shared between businesses to ensure the continued evolution of the supply chain. Customer expectations for fast, efficient deliveries, honed during the pandemic, continue to be high and it is vital that businesses across the supply chain continue to identify opportunities for cost and time efficiencies.”

*www.logistics.org.uk/campaigns/logistics-and-the-economy

Published On: 24/11/2022 16:00:48

 

Comments Section

If you are a Logistics UK member login to add comments.

There are no comments yet.



Latest articles

Member alert: Storm Éowyn - Red weather warnings issued with damaging winds forecast

The Met Office has issued red weather warnings for wind for the island of Ireland as well as central and southwestern areas of Scotland on Friday.

Read time: 2 minutes

View article

Pothole Britain: Future of Roads Minister visits the UK's “worst area”

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood, marked National Pothole Day on 15 January with a visit to the JCB Factory outside Derby, to see cutting-edge technology aimed at helping councils tackle potholes. She operated a JCB "Pothole Pro", a machine that can fix a pothole in eight minutes, with a cost of around ÂŁ30. The machine is currently used by 20 local authorities.

Read time: 2 minutes

View article

Logistics UK responds to Trade Strategy call

Logistics UK has responded to the Department for Business and Trade’s call for views on the forthcoming Trade Strategy, highlighting that the logistics industry is vital to the UK economy and trade.

Read time: 2 minutes

View article

Next page

The future of urban logistics and decarbonisation

E-news archive

You can also view our e-news archive here.

E-news archive

Interested in Membership?

Get in contact using the Membership Enquiry Form.

Membership Enquiry Form

Logistics Magazine Portal

The hub for finding relevant and informative features, news & compliance guides from Logistics Magazine

Logistics Magazine Portal Home

Sponsorship Opportunities

Learn more about advertising on the new digital Logistics Magazine, with a variety of advert options to reach 30,000 relevant readers.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Magazine Contents

News

Logistics Magazine will cover all the latest news on stories breaking in the industry, including developments on COVID-19,  Brexit, Clean Air Zones, transport law and decarbonisation.

News

Features

Our frequent features will tackle the broader issues affecting logistics such as the COVID-19 vaccination programme, technology and innovation, the political and economic landscape, global trade and the drive to reduce emissions across all transport modes.

Features

Compliance

Each month we explore a different topic in depth in our popular Compliance section, while each week we will publish answers put to our Member Advice Centre team.

Compliance

View Supplements and Previous Printed Editions

View Supplements and previous printed editions of Logistics Magazine here.

Previous