Transportation and logistics leaders are increasing AI and technology investments despite significant operational readiness gaps, with 92% feeling prepared for peak season but 53% struggling with demand forecasting accuracy. While 90% of existing tech investments have met ROI expectations, companies are becoming more demanding about future investments and faster returns.
- 92% of logistics leaders report being fully or mostly prepared for 2026 holiday peak shipping, yet 53% identify demand forecasting accuracy as a major concern area
- Technology implementation hasn't solved core problems: 61% have deployed demand forecasting tools, but accuracy remains the top operational challenge
- 86% plan to increase technology and AI budgets next fiscal year, while 62% now require faster ROI timelines from vendors
- Legacy systems and integration challenges are the biggest barrier to AI adoption, cited by 24% of respondents, followed by data quality concerns at 19%
- 90% report existing technology investments have met or exceeded ROI expectations, indicating confidence in technology value despite increased scrutiny
While 92% of respondents to Sparq’s “2027 Transportation & Logistics Insights Report: How Enterprise Leaders are Sequencing Investment in Connected Data & AI” report say their organizations are fully or mostly prepared for the 2026 holiday peak shipping season, 53% identify demand forecasting accuracy as one of the three areas where they feel least prepared, despite 61% reporting that their organizations have already implemented demand forecasting technology.
"Transportation and logistics companies aren't backing away from technology investment, but the expectations are changing," says Ingrid Curtis, CEO of Sparq. "In 2027, it won't be enough to say you've deployed AI or saved employees a few hours a week. Leaders will want to know whether those investments actually improved margins, increased capacity or made operations more resilient. That's the next test for the industry."
Key takeaways:
· Despite high overall confidence heading into peak holiday shipping season, respondents identified several areas of concern. Demand forecasting accuracy topped the list at 53%, followed by cybersecurity and data breaches (43%), labor and driver shortages (43%), and extreme weather disruptions (41%).
· Many organizations have implemented technologies intended to improve these operational pain points, including load and route optimization (70%), real-time visibility and tracking (67%), and demand forecasting (61%), but they remain areas of primary concern.
· Looking ahead, 86% of respondents expect their organizations' technology and AI budgets to increase in the next fiscal year, even as they face continued pressure on margins. At the same time, 62% say their organizations are requiring faster ROI timelines from vendors on technology investments, while 49% are consolidating vendor relationships.
· Despite this increased scrutiny, 90% report that their existing technology and AI investments have met or exceeded ROI expectations. This suggests executives remain confident in the value of technology while becoming more demanding about future investments.
· Legacy technology also remains an obstacle to AI adoption. When asked about the biggest barrier to accelerating AI or advanced data investments, respondents most frequently cited legacy systems and integration challenges (24%), followed by data quality concerns (19%), unclear ROI (17%) and budget constraints (16%).
