**London**: A recent webinar hosted by Magaya revealed that only 23% of freight forwarders have digitised 75% or more of their processes, raising concerns over the adoption of real-time visibility solutions crucial for shippers, particularly affecting smaller companies’ technological advancement.
In a recent webinar hosted by Magaya, industry experts Gustavo Gomez and Alfred Murgado alongside myself discussed the findings of “The 2025 State of Digitization in Freight Forwarding” research report. The session, which is available for on-demand viewing, offered insights into the current state of digitization within the freight forwarding sector.
Alfred Murgado initiated the conversation by probing what aspects of the research findings were the most unexpected. Among several intriguing results, I highlighted a particularly surprising statistic: only 23% of freight forwarders surveyed had digitised 75% or more of their business processes. I anticipated that the level of digitisation would be significantly higher by this point in time.
Furthermore, I noted a concerning trend in the adoption of real-time freight visibility solutions, with just 23% of those surveyed utilising such technology. This was also true for business intelligence and analytics applications, which I had expected to see adopted more widely across the sector. Speaking to the implications of these findings, I remarked, “The ability to quickly and accurately answer the most common questions shippers ask — ‘Where is my shipment? When will it arrive?’ — is really table stakes today.”
Indeed, the research revealed that real-time shipment tracking was deemed the most valuable technological capability by shippers, with 67% of respondents selecting it as a priority. This raises concerns over the noted discrepancies, as only a fraction of freight forwarders incorporated real-time visibility solutions into their operations, which partly explains why 38% of shippers reported being only slightly or not at all satisfied with the technological capabilities available from their freight forwarders.
The report further examined the current landscape of freight visibility solutions, noting that many freight forwarders remain slow to adapt. The same trend can be observed in the realm of business intelligence and analytics; the pandemic underscored the necessity for companies to embrace data-driven decision-making. Yet, the findings indicate that only a small percentage of freight forwarders have laid groundwork in this critical area.
Significantly, the survey results spotlighted a disparity between small and large freight forwarders regarding their motivations for digitisation. A striking 78% of large freight forwarders identified “to improve end-to-end shipment visibility” as a driving factor, contrasted with just 38% of their smaller counterparts. Similarly, 56% of large organisations viewed the need to become more data-driven as a motivation, compared to only 33% among small freight forwarders. These figures suggest a concerning trend where smaller companies may be falling behind in technological advancement and understanding the importance of digitisation for operational efficiency.
The research included feedback from shippers, highlighting their perspectives on the technological capabilities provided by their freight forwarders and logistics service providers. For a more comprehensive view of the results and the insights gleaned from the discussions, the webinar, hosted by Magaya, remains accessible for those interested in exploring further aspects of this vital topic.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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