The shift in consumer purchasing from multimodal to single-mode (e-commerce) during the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the future of logistics and warehouse management by accelerating trends that were forecast to come in the next decade or beyond, according to a new study, Vertical Market Outlook Series: Logistics, released by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation.

The study focuses on warehousing and distribution centers and the trends toward automation that will drive demand for equipment financing in this sector. It is the fifth release of the ELFF’s Vertical Market Outlook Series, which is designed to help readers recognize and understand opportunities and challenges that may affect their businesses.

The report, commissioned by the ELFF and prepared by Engine Group, consists of data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Peerless Research Group, which publishes the Annual Warehouse and Distribution Center Equipment Survey; and Grand View Research, publisher of Warehouse Management Systems Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report.

Among the range of issues examined in the study are the:

• Hesitancy among warehouses and distribution centers to invest in equipment post-COVID-19 pandemic
• Impact of significant increases in e-commerce sales
• Role of big data and cloud computing
• Challenges and opportunities of a labor shortage
• Growing trends in warehouse automation equipment, including robotics, artificial intelligence, telematics and IoT

“This report focuses on the areas of the rapidly-changing logistics sector that we believe to be the most relevant to the equipment finance industry,” Tom Ware, research committee chair of the ELFF, said. “The range of information and analysis provides invaluable insights for equipment finance professionals to use in their strategic planning and decision-making.”