Automakers are shifting away from traditional technologies like internal combustion engines and moving toward a future of autonomous vehicles, electrification, and increased connectivity.

This transformation also extends beyond the vehicle and into the factory, where automation and robotics play an increasing role in the assembly line.

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However, supply chain issues, a tight labor market, and evolving customer habits — such as the growing use of third-party delivery apps — have made customer loyalty more difficult to earn and profit margins harder to maintain around the industry.

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In fact, 4 out of 5 construction firms consistently report having a hard time filling some or all positions, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. With 40% of US construction workers expected to retire within the next decade, this labor challenge is expected to get even more difficult. 

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For example, those focused on reducing the cost of the last mile can discover relevant tech solutions in our last-mile market map, understand where delivery leaders like DoorDash are making strategic bets, and get an idea of what last-mile delivery might look like in 2030.

Our predictions for the upcoming year include:

• As retailers continue to invest in their own supply chain operations, we expect to see them increasingly experiment with new retail formats that position brick-and-mortar locations for distribution and fulfillment. Retailers that are early movers in supply chain investments could tap into B2B services as an additional revenue stream. 
• CPG brands will invest more heavily to scale their sustainability efforts — such as those related to production and waste management  — to meet previously set benchmarks, regulatory frameworks, and consumer demands. 
• With supply chain security top of mind, big tech companies will leverage their expansive data lakes to provide B2B offerings that make the supply chain more connected, efficient, and traceable.

To kick off 2023, we brought together our top supply chain & logistics research in the curated list below.

RETAIL

• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report — Supply Chain Optimization In Retail
• Unbundling SHEIN: How fast fashion is being disrupted
• [Client Research] How American Eagle and Gap are entering the third-party logistics space
• [Client Research] Analyzing Walmart’s growth strategy: How the retail giant is building e-commerce and boosting profits
• [Client Research] Unbundling Sephora: How the beauty retail experience is being disrupted
• [Client Research] Analyzing Alibaba’s growth strategy: How the tech giant is reimagining retail to drive its global ambitions
• [Client Research] Market Trend Report: Delivery Management Software for Retailers

FOOD & GROCERY

• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Supply Chain Optimization in Grocery
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: Supply Chain Optimization for Grocery Retailers
• The Future of the Supermarket: How technology is making grocery shopping more personalized, efficient, and sustainable
• [Client Research] 40+ early-stage companies transforming food & beverage product development and distribution
• [Client Research] Analyzing Carrefour’s growth strategy: How the retailer is digitizing its operations to improve profitability
• [Client Research] What this $37B grocery giant is doing to optimize its inventory management
• [Client Research] Analyzing Ocado’s growth strategy: How the grocery tech giant is shaping the future of the supermarket
• [Client Research] What are Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons doing in microfulfillment?
• The Future of Fast Food: How robot chefs, virtual ordering, and autonomous delivery will feed us in 2030

SUSTAINABILITY

• [Client Research] Analyzing PepsiCo’s growth strategy: How the CPG giant is improving supply chain sustainability and reducing emissions
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Sustainability in the Supply Chain for Retailers
• [Client Research] 13 technologies making the supply chain more sustainable — and the ones that retailers should prioritize now
• [Client Research] 107 companies helping advanced manufacturers make their operations more sustainable
• [Client Research] 88 companies reducing food waste across the supply chain
• [Client Research] Analyzing Nestlé’s growth strategy: How the company is prioritizing health & sustainability across its portfolio
• [Client Research] Analyzing Danone’s Growth Strategy: How the CPG giant is creating a more sustainable food supply chain
• [Client Research] Analyzing Unilever’s growth strategy: How the CPG giant is doubling down on sustainability and digital transformation

LAST-MILE FULFILLMENT 

• The Future of Last-Mile Delivery: How technology is tackling the complexity and cost of fulfillment
• [Client Research] 60+ early-stage companies reshaping food & meal delivery
• [Client Research] 218 companies helping retail leaders make last-mile operations faster, cheaper, and more efficient
• [Client Research] Analyzing DoorDash’s operational strategy: How the delivery leader is investing in local commerce
• How restaurants can reduce reliance on gig workers using autonomous delivery

FLEET & FREIGHT MANAGEMENT

• [Client Research] Unbundling Maersk: How one of the world’s largest shipping companies is being disrupted
• [Client Research] The Future of the Fleet: How technology is making transporting freight more efficient and sustainable
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Fleet & Freight Optimization in Retail
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: Fleet & Freight Optimization for Retail
• [Client Research] Analyzing Amazon’s growth strategy: How the tech giant is shaping the future of transportation and logistics
• [Client Research] Analyzing Ryder’s growth strategy: How the transportation giant is becoming a leader in supply chain & logistics tech 

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• Autonomous tractors capable of tilling, plowing, and fertilizing fields without a human operator in the tractor cabin  
• Connected farm platforms that will allow farm operators to remotely track and manage operations 
• Agricultural drones that can map, spray, and spread across fields and orchards autonomously
• Harvesting robots that have the ability to carefully pick and transport produce
• Automated weed control, which consists of robots that can identify and then remove or treat weeds in fields 
• Soil optimization tech that allows farm operators to understand their soil at a granular level, analyze how to optimize yields, and measure carbon storage in soil 
• Crop biologicals that deploy natural means to treat and protect crops 

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the farms of the future.

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The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in labor shortages and supply chain disruptions around the world, spurring many companies in industries like construction, manufacturing, and energy to turn to tech-enabled solutions to keep projects safe, on schedule, and within budget.

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Accounts payable (AP) automation software companies automate the entire accounts payable process, from invoice to pay to reconciliation, with the aim of reducing manual processes and avoiding human errors.

Accounting and finance departments use this technology to manage massive amounts of invoices from their suppliers or payment leaders. Typically, the software is layered with an organization’s enterprise resource planning system.

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• Automated logistics facilitating efficient product delivery and returns
• Interactive product setup and care solutions enabling immersive self-service
• Predictive customer service to provide proactive assistance
• AI-powered virtual agents enabling hyper-personalized interactions
• Utility NFTs creating post-purchase engagement opportunities
• Embedded recommerce solutions integrating with the post-purchase journey

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping what happens after we make a purchase. 

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This is an even greater challenge as customers have grown accustomed to the free and fast shipping options used by the likes of Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba to lure shoppers. 

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New technologies have emerged that play a more significant role in consumers’ day-to-day lifestyles and wellness. Startups are also focused on the accessibility of home-focused tech through new products geared towards seniors and kids. For example, Nobi’s smart lamp integrates mobility sensors and AI to detect falls for the elderly.

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• AR/VR & reality capture to visualize project plans, train workers onsite, and measure daily progress
• Building information modeling (BIM) & digital twins to give realistic representations of project plans and reduce product development costs
• Drones for surveying, monitoring, and maintaining safe operations
• Workplace safety & exosuits to improve safety and reduce the physical strain of work
• Automation & robotics to drive efficiency and productivity by reducing manual labor and minimizing errors
• Industrial internet of everything (IIoE) for overseeing and coordinating entire projects, from design to execution

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping future job sites around the planet.

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• The metaverse, which will become an extension of the brand experience
• AI tongues and social listening to help brands quickly develop and test new menu items and meet consumer demands
• Conversational AI and AI-powered recommendation engines that will handle online and in-store orders, allowing restaurants to upsell orders through personalized suggestions and prioritize labor for other customer service operations
• Robotic food preparation that will automate cooking to increase profitability and reduce food waste
• Autonomous delivery that will help reduce reliance on gig workers
• NFT loyalty programs that will create unique experiences and boost customer loyalty

In this report, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the future of restaurants.

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Consumer spending is steadily rising, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, while e-commerce growth has put pressure on warehouse operators to improve fulfillment speed and inventory visibility — all while the industry faces labor shortages and rising inflation.

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Download the buyer’s guide to see our overview of this software category, including the key considerations, buyer thoughts processes, and the questions you should be asking. Questions like:

• What level of personalization & segmentation can the vendor enable?
• What are the key drivers of pricing?
• What is the vendor’s product roadmap?

“One of the key questions for us was, will this platform grow with us? Will this platform evolve with us? Because we’re not just looking at what it is now. We want to see will this still be the right platform in 2 or 3 years, even more actually.”— Head of CRM, fintech with $1B+ valuation 

Buyers interviewed for this report include:

• President of Global E-Commerce, retailer with $1B+ market cap
• CMO, European travel site
• Head of CRM & Loyalty, online grocery startup

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In 2021, John Deere’s revenues reached $44B, up 24% year-over-year — with the company saying that its tech shift was a key driver of its results.

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Download our scorecard to quickly compare the below vendors. To read the interview transcripts for each solution, reserve your Yardstiq subscription here.

• ActiveCampaign
• Bluecore
• Braze
• Iterable
• Klaviyo
• Sendinblue

Other marketing automation vendors mentioned by buyers include:

• Act-On Software
• CleverTap
• MoEngage
• Mailchimp

For more firsthand insights from the world’s largest network of software buyers, reserve your Yardstiq subscription here. 

Yardstiq is powered by CB Insights.

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Precision agriculture technology can benefit these farm operators — and their food and beverage (F&B) counterparts, like Pepsi Co. — in a number of ways. Not only do solutions in this space give way to improved yields and reduced chemical usage/runoff, but they can also help mitigate labor shortages. 

Additionally, by enabling farm operators to reduce fertilizer and chemical usage, drive operational efficiencies, and spur increased regenerative agriculture practices, these technologies could also significantly help corporations working with operators meet their own ambitious net-zero goals – particularly companies like Tyson and Nestlé.

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But the food service industry is facing daunting challenges on all of those fronts stemming from inflation, supply chain issues, and a tight labor market. According to Square, 73% of restaurants report being understaffed.

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On-demand warehousing solutions offer temporary access to warehousing space, typically accompanied by e-commerce fulfillment support. The rented space size varies, and providers may house items ranging from online grocery baskets to mattresses.

The various providers in this space differentiate themselves by providing complementary services (e.g., transportation, reverse logistics, and demand forecasting) and tech capabilities (e.g., cold storage and inventory tracking).

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Autonomous trucking providers are developing self-driving systems for long-haul trucking applications to fully automate the movement of freight on highways and major roadways. Because highway driving is relatively repetitive and predictable, it can be easier to automate than driving in complex urban environments.

Some companies are working on fully autonomous driving solutions (Level 4+), while others are focused on Level 2 or 3 advanced driver systems that still require a driver to be in the vehicle.

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The tech giant has already slipped its AI-powered voice assistant Alexa into everything from smart speakers to TVs to microwaves. But its ambitions for the home expand far beyond playing songs on command and hooking up kitchen appliances to the internet.

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• Automated logistics facilitating efficient product delivery and returns
• Interactive product setup and care solutions enabling immersive self-service
• Predictive customer service to provide proactive assistance
• AI-powered virtual agents enabling hyper-personalized interactions
• Utility NFTs creating post-purchase engagement opportunities
• Embedded recommerce solutions integrating with the post-purchase journey

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping what happens after we make a purchase. 

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Services that help offset these costs have been gaining traction — funding for restaurant tech is projected to more than double this year compared to 2020. These companies have been shaking up the restaurant industry with technology that helps boost sales, eliminate waste, and streamline operational processes. 

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