How are mobile apps transforming the logistics industry?

17/12/2019

How are mobile apps transforming the logistics industry?

How are mobile apps transforming the logistics industry?

Logistics and shipping have always been busy and rapidly transforming industries that embraced the latest technologies faster than many other industries. From the adoption of advanced car sensors to the Internet of Things (IoT) gateway and devices or the big data analytics to analyze freight and shipping data, there has been no dearth of successful efforts to incorporate new technologies to boost efficiency in the sector. No wonder logistics solutions developed by mobile app developers played a central role in this technological revolution in the sector.   

Logistics as an industry has been at the forefront of the adoption of mobility and mobile apps. From the shipping and logistics brands around the world to the businesses running their own in-house logistics solutions, the adoption of mobile apps has been widespread.  

In this context, it is vital to understand the wide-ranging implications of mobile apps for the entire logistics industry. Here are the key ways mobile apps transformed logistics operations and businesses. 

IoT, GPS, and AI

Internet of Things, Global Positioning System (GPS), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been among the most elementary technologies for the entire logistics sector. Thanks to the connected device ecosystem and the GPS, tracking shipments and on-road vehicles became easier than ever before. No wonder the world’s biggest logistics solution providers are now using IoT and GPS for their processes. 

In the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has come in a major way to help these two technologies provide more precise output. While connected transport systems can be tracked and the GPS system can deliver precise location information about the transport vehicles, AI technology can process this information along with the traffic data to guide the vehicles to take the best routes. Moreover, AI-based apps can also predict delivery timing more accurately.

Effortless warehouse management

Human errors have always been a nightmarish factor for the vast majority of logistics and shipping services and companies. Fortunately, thanks to the mobile app-based consolidated management of warehousing data and streamlined processes, the impact of such unwanted errors can largely be avoided now.  

Mobile apps facilitate automatic processing through logging equipment IDs and include storage information to make the whole system streamlined and friction less. The best thing is, logistics mobile apps can also sync all data with a central database.  

Keeping track of shipments

Thanks to mobile apps, we no longer need to check emails or the respective merchant website to track the shipment we are likely to receive. We get instant notifications on our screen and can track the shipment in real-time. Moreover, the entire process is transparent and informs us about the product shipment and arrival from time to time through mobile notification messages. 

This ease of keeping track of shipments is great for the user experience of countless customers who order products online. Moreover, shipment tracking through mobile apps also helps to boost the productivity of the entire sector. 

More e-commerce sales

Besides providing better customer experience and greater procedural simplicity, mobile apps for the logistics sector also helps to create more business opportunities simply by increasing total sales across retail and merchant apps and websites. 

Thanks to the faster and transparent delivery process that allows shipment tracking throughout the process, many retail customers order products online or through mobile apps without the slightest worry over any errors in the entire process. Moreover, the prompt confirmation of an order and notification about the shipment in the delivery process makes the whole process transparent, trustworthy and reliable. 

Cost advantage and efficiency

The mobile app development for the logistics industry can not only ensure optimum transparency and efficiency but also help reduce the task loads for logistics professionals. For example, the streamlined, transparent delivery process helps reduce the number of phone calls from customers asking for updates and information, as they always remain informed about the progress of the shipment and delivery. This helps the logistics companies to decrease costs by reducing the demand for dedicated and round the clock customer service.  

Transport operations

One of the key advantages of logistics apps is the way they help ease out transport management and operations. Any logistics service needs to handle a fleet of vehicles from various operators and transport services. By using a simple app, the logistics company can manage all these vehicles from various operators and transport services in a seamless manner. 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributing author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum for International Trade Training.

About the author

Author: Juned Ghachi

Juned Ghachi is a co-founder and CMO of IndianAppDevelopers, a leading mobile app development company in India. Juned helps companies of all sizes to develop mobile applications across all mobile platforms for their business growth.

disqus comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *