Enhancing Global Logistics Visibility: A Key to Scaling Fast-Growth Businesses

Introduction: The Current State of Global Supply Chains

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, global logistics visibility has become a critical factor for fast-growth businesses looking to scale their operations. The past few years have seen unprecedented challenges in the supply chain industry, from port labor issues to the Suez Canal blockage, and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These disruptions have led to significant delays and cost increases across every step of the supply chain.

Let's look at some eye-opening statistics that highlight the current state of global logistics:

• Trans-Pacific Eastbound (TPEB) crossings are now taking ships an average of 109 days, compared to about half that time pre-pandemic.
• Effective ocean shipping rates have increased 5 times since 2020, a phenomenon not seen in over 30 years.
• The spot price per container on the China-U.S. East coast route grew by more than 500% from 2020 to 2021, reaching $20,804 in August 2021.
• Consumer spending online during the 2021 holiday season grew 8.6% year-over-year to a record $204.5 billion.

These challenges have turned global container shipping into a highly disrupted, under-supplied seller's market. For small businesses and e-commerce companies, this requires demand planning months in advance and a new approach to managing their supply chains.

The Importance of Real-Time Data Visibility

In an industry traditionally dominated by spreadsheets, emails, and phone calls, how can fast-growth businesses stay on top of their logistics operations? The answer lies in real-time data visibility. Having access to end-to-end visibility of your entire supply chain—from purchase order creation to final delivery—down to the individual SKU level, empowers businesses of any size to respond faster to constantly changing needs.

Real-time data visibility offers several key benefits:

1. Informed decision making
2. Better analytics
3. Improved customer satisfaction
4. Fewer bottlenecks
5. Enhanced inter-department cohesion
6. Smoother customs and compliance clearance

At FreightAmigo, we understand the importance of real-time data visibility. Our Digital Logistics Platform offers comprehensive insights into your supply chain, all easily accessible from a single source of truth for you, your partners, and suppliers. This level of visibility allows your team to make agile decisions because you know exactly where your shipment is at all times.

Leveraging Data Visibility for Enhanced Decision Making

Small businesses polled by Gartner cite enhanced decision-making potential as a driving factor in supply chain technology investment. With a Digital Logistics Solution like FreightAmigo, you can access self-serve data on transit times with just a few clicks, helping your team plan which route and/or mode to use for which SKUs.

This level of visibility holds potential benefits for teams across your organization:

• Customer service can keep buyers apprised of their order's precise location.
• Finance can see where their spend is going and make real-time adjustments.
• Compliance can provide appropriate access for auditors, streamlining that process.
• Marketing can make better decisions on which products to promote based on availability and expected warehouse delivery dates.

By utilizing FreightAmigo's Digital Platform, you can collaborate in real-time, order from suppliers, track inventory in motion, and message your warehouse. Our platform speeds up workflows for everyone in your supply chain, ensuring a more efficient and transparent logistics process.

Flexibility: The Key to Supply Chain Resilience

Perhaps the single largest benefit of end-to-end visibility is the flexibility it brings to your logistics operations. Supply chain flexibility means being able to quickly adjust modes, routes, FCL > LCL, partial shipments, etc., as soon as new information is available to your teams.

With FreightAmigo's Digital Logistics Solution, you can:

• Adjust your modal mix with ease when demand shifts
• Route top-selling SKUs via air priority while shipping the remainder via ocean freight
• Maintain consistency in delivery even without consistent warehouse space by using LCL and partial shipments
• Shift to a direct-to-consumer model with ship-to-stock and ship-to-sell options

Our platform uses aggregate data across clients and modes to predict trends and consults with you on the best way to move your cargo. When data shows a surprise rail slowdown, for example, you're able to transload and book a truck for your cargo instead.

Improving On-Time Delivery and Supply Chain Resilience

Supply chain resilience is especially challenging to achieve during global disruptions, particularly for small businesses and e-commerce brands with smaller logistics teams and less in-house expertise. However, with FreightAmigo as your tech-first Digital Logistics Platform partner, you can extend your logistics team's capabilities and enable data visibility down to the individual SKU level.

Our Digital Logistics Solution allows you to:

• See your supply chain as a whole
• Spot any issues and dive deeper to fix them together with your team
• Know when to make room at the warehouse
• Send your customers delivery updates
• Access real-time cargo tracking to help everyone stay up-to-date

Taking steps to reign in your supply chain with data visibility and flexibility is the best first step you can take to begin mitigating the complexity of global trade in today's world. With FreightAmigo's Digital Logistics Platform, you can run your supply chain end-to-end with all the tools and support you need.

Conclusion: Embracing Digital Solutions for Logistics Success

In an era of unprecedented supply chain challenges, global logistics visibility has become a crucial factor for fast-growth businesses looking to scale. By leveraging Digital Logistics Solutions like FreightAmigo, companies can gain real-time insights into their supply chains, make informed decisions, and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

FreightAmigo's comprehensive Digital Platform offers the tools and support needed to navigate the complexities of modern logistics. From enhancing decision-making capabilities to improving customer satisfaction and streamlining operations across departments, our solution empowers businesses to build resilience and flexibility into their supply chains.

As the logistics landscape continues to evolve, embracing digital solutions will be key to staying competitive and meeting the demands of a rapidly changing market. With FreightAmigo as your trusted partner, you can transform your logistics operations and position your business for sustainable growth in the global marketplace.