The exploration of the digital age in the field of cargo services has gained a lot of popularity and this is contributing to the growth of the cargo sector. The cargo industry had been struggling for decades without technological evolution, but with the advent of technology, the difficulties faced by it got some relief and it started to conquer the heights of growth. There was no incentive at the time for intermediaries like commodity forwarders to invest in technology as transparency in pricing and real-time availability of data sounded the death knell. 

Similarly, cargo services were never a priority for airlines and carriers to invest in user experience due to the industry’s inherent B2B nature. But over the past few years, the air cargo industry has become a roller coaster, thanks to the sudden boom in cargo technology by start-ups, which have threatened to democratise pricing and real-time availability of information.

Achieving excellence through the use of technology

The cargo industry has long been sluggish due to a lack of genuine digital integration, a situation that prevents participants from effective cooperation and relies on manual processes. But the advent of new technologies has improved its condition and has been able to achieve large-scale growth. 

The cargo service initiative aims to guide the industry in the development of advanced technologies, smooth processes, and global standards in collaboration with the supply chain and address, define and guide the challenges that come with it. The vision of the cargo service to India is to achieve a fully digitally connected and integrated cargo supply chain. Data sharing will be completely digital as a result of technology in the cargo sector. 

All stakeholders are also provided with visibility in exports as well as data availability and quality are critical for achieving operational excellence and smart automation. Services have been user-oriented and customer experience has become a critical part of companies’ strategies. Similarly, companies should offer high-value services, take advantage of the use of data and separate themselves from the competition with a unique value proposition.

The cargo value chain and the need for digital technologies

The cargo ecosystem is fragmented and complex, and its value chain involves many stakeholders. Shippers, couriers, customs, freight forwarders, integrators, airlines, and end customers are all partners in a cargo chain. But digitization serves as a great opportunity to improve communication and collaboration within this complex value chain. Therefore, its cost is efficient, and service is driven by excellence. 

It is clear that if a business continues as the traditional games in the cargo industry are the usual approach, it will continue to lose competitiveness and value in the ecosystem. Cargo services will be providers of convenience to their customers in a 360-degree shift from just providers to propositioning their value. The digital transformation roadmap for players in the air cargo industry varies widely depending on their location in the value chain. All stakeholders in the air cargo industry should adopt a common goal, utilising technology to re-reinforce the competitiveness of air cargo in other modes of freight transportation, all of which have become more advanced in their digital transformation.