Our Week 17 Top Logistics Stories

It’s week 17 and here are three stories you should be updating your customers and prospects on this week. They need your expertise!

Shippers may not be aware of what’s occurring or its importance, so offering your assistance and insights will help you build a stronger relationship with them.

Knowing what’s going on in the market is only half the battle. Your customers need to be told what to do about it and they should hear that from you.

1.      There was some clarification on the massive port fees the US administration is threatening for Chinese-built or operated cargo ships. After much industry pushback, the rules will likely be softened and implemented in a phased-in approach. A public comment period was extended to May 19 before anything official happens. Like tariffs, these port fees are very confusing and potentially expensive for importers, so keeping them up to date on these issues is essential right now.

2.      The main thing keeping the ocean freight markets going the past few months was the inventory ‘pull forward’ to beat the tariffs. Well, now that tariffs are here, that activity is slowing. Inventories and warehouses are full. The priority now for many importers is to efficiently manage swollen inventories when storage costs have risen, and space is scarce. If you offer expertise in that area, now is your time to shine.

3.      The parcel delivery market is seeing big shifts. As e-commerce has grown over the past 5 to 10 years, so have the delivery options available to online sellers. It is not just UPS, FedEx, and USPS anymore. Regional carriers and Amazon provide many legitimate, low-cost, and reliable alternatives for B2C delivery. As with inventory management, experience and technology that help e-commerce shippers operate smarter are in great demand.

Of course, these stories are just a small part of what’s going on in the supply chain space right now. Updating your clients on how this and other information is relevant to their business is a way to provide more value and strengthen your relationships.

If you need help creating more complete and customized updates for emails, blogs, and social media, we can help. Visit www.shippingbrief.com to learn more.