The global business environment is constantly changing. To keep our customers, partners, and ourselves up to date, the DHL Innovation and Trend Research team has been monitoring and analyzing the most important technological, social, and economic trends for more than a decade and updates the DHL Logistics Trend Radar every two years. The seventh edition is out now.
Close to the Customer, Close to the Technology, Close to the Business
DHL and DHL Freight firmly believe that we can only deliver impactful innovation in logistics by staying close to our customers, close to technology, and close to operations. The customer-centric, integrated approach of DHL Trend Research is the foundation of the Logistics Trend Radar and enables us to leverage the perspectives of our customers together with those of DHL colleagues who drive and define the change in logistics every day.
We combine these insights with traditional research methods and incorporate the opinions of renowned experts from think tanks, leading consultancies, and top academic institutions. To fully understand the benefits and challenges of specific applications, we conduct proof of concepts and pilots in real supply chain environments.
Successful projects open up opportunities to productize and scale innovative concepts, making these solutions available to DHL internally and to our customers. This experience in turn feeds into the DHL Logistics Trend Radar and complements our view of the development of existing and emerging trends and their impact on logistics to create a holistic picture.
The DHL Logistics Trend Radar is an invaluable strategic resource for our customers and the logistics community. It consolidates key logistics trends, with AI and sustainability taking the lead in this edition, driving the evolution of businesses, consumers, and technologies over the next decade. This empowers our customers and us to stay competitive in a demanding landscape.
Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation
DHL Logistics Trend Radar 7.0
For more information on the DHL Logistics Trend Radar 7.0 and to download the radar, click here.
AI and Sustainability as Key Game Changers
The Trend Radar captures social, economic, and technological trends and clearly classifies them according to their potential impact on logistics (low and high impact) as well as the expected time frame until implementation. Six focus areas help to categorize the trends:
- Automation & Efficiency
- Customer Experience
- Sustainability
- Health, Safety & Future of Work
- Physical & Digital Security
- Visibility & Resilience
Since the last edition was published in 2022, we have observed several relevant developments that have changed the position of trends on the radar. In addition, we have identified new trends that are accelerating logistics innovation. All in all, this has changed the composition of the Logistics Trend Radar 7.0. There is now a greater focus on trends that will prevail in five years or less, as well as notable developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability.
Newly identified trends are:
- AI Ethics
- E-Commerce Evolution
- Green Urban Transformation
- Workforce Focus
- Audio AI
With these additions, the Radar presents the most relevant current developments for logistics in a comprehensive and comprehensible manner. Like a radar in shipping or aviation, the Logistics Trend Radar provides valuable guidance for navigating safely through the turbulent world of logistics, proactively anticipating future developments, and securing tomorrow’s business success.
Over more than a decade, the DHL Logistics Trend Radar has become a recognized benchmark for strategy, innovation, and education, helping logistics professionals navigate ever-evolving landscapes and seize new opportunities. With this seventh edition, our commitment remains the same – to provide DHL customers, colleagues, and partners with valuable insights that reflect the direction of societies, businesses, and technologies, enabling the logistics community to shape tomorrow.
Klaus Dohrmann, Vice President, Head of Innovation and Trend Research, DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation