Festive season shopping spurs logistics, warehousing players into hyper action
The Hindu
The logistics and warehousing segments reported a 50 to 60% increase in volumes and storage requirements in this festive period compared to the same time last year. Merchandise segments too grew substantially and some even growing 100%
Logistics movements and demand for warehousing have seen a significant spike in the months of September, October and until the first week of November to support the soaring festive season shopping volumes in the country. Market observers said the logistics and warehousing segment reported a 50-60% increase in traffic and storage volumes in this festive period compared with the same time last year. Merchandise segments, too, grew substantially and some categories grew even 100% over last year, they added.
“As the festive season unfolded, the demand for warehousing solutions was reaching unprecedented levels, with sectors such as e-commerce, FMCD, and CDE significantly ramping up their inventory to meet the peak-season demand,” said Manikandan Ramachandran, COO, TVS ILP (TVS Industrial & Logistics Parks), a warehousing and logistics solutions business arm of the TVS Mobility Group.
The convenience of online shopping and the exclusive deals have a significant impact on shifting consumer behaviour specifically during the festive season, which clearly leads to high volume logistics traffic, observed Kami Viswanathan, President of FedEx Express Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and Africa.
“Shoppers have high expectations for timely deliveries and want to know the status of their shipments end to end. To address this we are innovating to harness the power of data to create a more intelligent and resilient FedEx network, offering new possibilities for our customers,” she added.
According to Ishaan Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Gateway Distriparks, part of Snowman Logistics, customer segments that are seeing high demand include confectionary, dairy (especially for butter and ghee), and HORECA (hotels, restaurants, cafés), particularly quick service restaurants (QSR). Although festive peak months start from October, the preparations typically begin as early as July and continue through January to cover year end and new year gifting.
“The volumes have been significantly high this season and the warehousing industry has been playing a pivotal role in ensuring adequate inventory to ensure timely last-mile delivery,” he added.
This festive season, with consumer demand soaring, Apollo Supply Chain, the logistics arm of Apollo Group, is poised to fulfil logistics requirements for the key industries of automotive, electronics, and e-commerce, said Akshat Pushp, Head – 3PL, Strategy and Digital Transformation at Apollo Supply Chain.
Flight AI177 will depart Bengaluru at 1.05 p.m. and arrive at London Gatwick at 7.05 p.m. (local time). From London Gatwick, flight AI178 will depart at 8.35 p.m. (local time) and arrive in Bengaluru at 10.50 a.m. (next day arrival). From Bengaluru, the flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.