COVID-19 has reshaped the overall logistics process for e-commerce deliveries.
Logistics services, in parallel with the globalization of trade, have become an important tool to gain competitive advantage in different markets, especially for developing countries. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020, deeply affected human life as COVID-19 spread all over the world.
Although the number of cases and deaths differed in each country, the reactions to the pandemic and the measures taken were largely the same. The ways of doing business and consumption patterns were significantly affected and changed. Supply chains have been disrupted by the measures taken and delays and disruptions in supplies of goods have occurred.
COVID-19 has proven to be a massive opportunity for e-commerce.
The most important changes that the pandemic has created in our lives was spending the most time in our homes. The work life moved from offices to homes and we shifted from physical shopping to online shopping. Even middle-aged and older consumers, who seem the most distant from e-commerce, have increased their e-commerce habits during this period. COVID-19 has shifted the way people buy goods, accelerating the rise in online shopping and e-commerce deliveries.
COVID-19 had huge effects on cargo transportation. The growth in trade, of course, is closely related to the transportation and logistics activities aimed at delivering products to consumers. Delivering products to buyers in the fastest, most affordable and safe way is one of the most important factors affecting customer satisfaction. At this point, transportation and storage systems become the most important component of e-commerce.
We have seen that cargo transportation has been significantly affected during the pandemic period. The importance of the logistics system for the e-commerce supply chain, which is growing day-by-day and is in serious demand due to COVID-19, is clearly visible. This situation has caused big retail companies in the e-commerce sector to establish their own logistics companies and cargo companies to increase their investments in this direction.
The necessity of reviewing different supply chains provides an opportunity for the big e-commerce players on a global scale. The e-commerce industry expects its logistics partners to keep up with this development. At this point, it seems imperative for cargo companies to invest in technology and innovative business models in order to adapt to the retail trade models of the future.
The unexpected pandemic environment of COVID-19 revealed the importance of meeting the urgent consumption and input needs of people and companies quickly and without interruption.
For this reason, it is possible for production to shift from the cheapest production locations to the points where the fastest supply can be obtained.
