As ecommerce raises buyer expectations of speed and  transparency in order fulfillment and delivery, a new study says shippers and third-party logistics providers are aligned to ramp up AI and change management strategies to improve how they keep customers happy.

The 2025 Third-Party Logistics Study says shippers and their logistics providers recognize that their best return on investment derives from improving the speed and accuracy of fulfillment and delivery service for ecommerce shippers — and that AI and change management are fundamental to that strategy.

Dr. C. John Langley, professor of supply chain and information systems, Penn State Smeal College of Business

“While [shippers] and providers of 3PL services continue to report successful relationships, they find themselves having to deal with an increasingly wide range of challenges,” says C. John Langley, a professor of supply chain and information systems at Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business. Dr. Langley spearheaded the 29th annual edition of the study in association with supply chain consulting and AI technology firm NTT Data and 3PL firm Penske Logistics.

AI and change management are critical to supply chain strategies

He added, “While examples include economic concerns, geopolitical unrest, and changing markets for supply chain services, they also are taking advantage of change management processes to benefit from new and improved capabilities such as AI and direct-to-customer proficiencies.”

The study notes that shippers and 3PLs agree that AI, if deployed properly, can be pivotal to automating data analysis, identifying patterns, solving problems and automating repetitive tasks — and helping them to differentiate from competitors with improved shipping efficiency, accuracy, customer experience and ROI.

But they also agree that change management is critical to deploying AI technology and keeping up with the rising demands of online customers.

Moreover, only about 10% of study respondents said they view AI as a tool to replace human intuition.

“While AI will be the tool to catch, capture and distill patterns within large volumes of data, it is the people across supply chain organizations who will use it,” the report says.

The study notes AI “uses algorithms and machine learning models to analyze historical data, market trends and external factors, such as weather, consumer behavior and social media trends, to provide more accurate demand forecasts. Improved forecasts enable businesses to optimize inventory levels, manage capital, reduce overstock or stockouts, and accurately predict transportation needs.”

How AI can help across operations

The study summarizes AI benefits across several areas:

⦁ Transportation and route optimization. AI and ML can analyze historical data, traffic patterns and external factors, including traffic, weather, and shipper or receiver delivery constraints, to optimize route planning and scheduling. More efficient routing can reduce fuel consumption, improve delivery times and cut costs. AI is also aiding in rate predictions, which can help shippers and logistics providers obtain the best rate for specific lanes.

⦁ Order management. AI-powered systems can track inventory in real time, predict inventory needs and automate reordering processes, ensuring that the right amount of product is available at the right time, reducing holding costs and improving cash flow.

“AI models can monitor in real time to actually manage the  optimal stock levels,” says Ramu Pannala, vice president of supply chain technology at Penske. “You’re bringing in signals from point-of-sale data, orders and other sources to create a more optimal inventory management. It can even allow you to automate the backorder and reorder process, which reduces manual errors, speeds up the process and improves accuracy.”

⦁ Customer service. AI’s predictive and proactive nature has a direct effect on customer service through better demand forecasting, optimized inventory levels, and real-time visibility and to tracking delivery status.

⦁ Supplier management. AI can help businesses identify the products, suppliers and sourcing locations that are essential to their operations. In addition, it can analyze historical data and external factors to predict potential risks, such as financial instability, geopolitical issues and possible natural disasters.

“Now, supply chain planners can pinpoint the tomatoes that need to be shipped first, which may not be first in or last out,” the study says. “The cold chain or other time-sensitive industries may place greater value on optimizing routes.”

How shippers and 3PLs are strategizing

Among the trends regarding AI deployments, change management strategies and the demands of online buyers, the study found:

⦁ 40% of shippers and 37% of 3PLs (37%) expect a strong ROI from AI through service level improvements.

⦁ 33% of ecommerce shippers are considering, and 19% of 3PLs are already planning, AI projects for supply chain planning and demand forecasting.

⦁ 27% of ecommerce shippers expressed interest in  deploying AI technology in transportation and route optimization projects; 22% of 3PLs said they are already planning them.

⦁ 61% of shippers and 73% of 3PLs say change management is vital for keeping pace with supply chain technology and customer experience trends.

⦁ 58% of shippers and 76% of 3PLs said they are currently deploying a supply chain change management framework.

⦁ 48% of shippers and 53% of 3PLs said customers routinely expect deliveries in less than two days.

⦁ 27% of shippers and 26% of 3PLs cited customer expectations of deliveries within three days.

⦁ 44% of shippers and 38% of 3PLs said they are willing to absorb a small percentage of the costs related to expedited shipping.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. [email protected].

Sign up

Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News, published 4x/week. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube