In the age of e-commerce, consumers have more choice than ever. We can shop anytime of the day and from virtually any location. Retailers are adapting quickly, too. Established brands are trying new things all of the time in an effort to be the consumer’s first choice. It takes more than warehousing and distribution to make this possible—the industry’s best software engineers are mapping out the future of e-commerce and how goods are moved around the world.
Supply chain technology in all sectors is changing rapidly. Innovations include real-time visibility as goods move from the manufacturer to the warehouse to the consumer, predictive analytics for inventory and labor management, and advanced automation.
None of this would be possible without software engineers and data scientists who ask the right questions and develop forward-looking solutions. Part of my job as CIO of XPO Logistics is to make sure that our technology organization attracts highly skilled people and engages them in work that is meaningful on a global scale implementing these solutions.
In-house Technology as a Differentiator (and Motivator)
Let’s get back to those e-commerce goods that are no doubt moving across continents right now. We know that they’re making their way through a complex network of facilities and transportation modes. That’s a given; the big question is, who is making sense of the data behind the scenes and how is it being utilized to make the process satisfactory for all parties, especially the consumer? Because that’s what winning looks like in e-commerce: a stellar consumer experience at the end of the line.