Steps and elements of the development of the Annual Third-Party Logistics Study include
Links to the web-based survey were circulated to members and affiliates through organizations that support the Annual Third-Party Logistics Study. This year's survey closed in July 2024 and gathered responses from both users and non-users as well as providers of 3PL services.
Each year, several supply chain organizations facilitate the research process by asking members and other contacts to respond to the survey. In addition to completing the survey, participating companies contribute by enabling executives to participate in focused discussions and providing subject-matter expertise. The study team would like to thank Mohr Partners for information within the "Real Estate and Labor Trends" contemporary issue.
In addition to measuring core trends in the 3PL industry, the Annual Third-Party Logistics Study conducts in-depth examinations of supply chain topics that affect both users and providers of 3PL services. This year's topics focus on change management power dynamics, the growing role of technology, artificial intelligence and supply chain data, and direct-to-consumer shipping expectations.
A distinguishing feature of the Annual Third-Party Logistics Study is the inclusion of multiple streams of research undertaken by the study team to validate and clarify the findings in this report. The team solicits survey topic ideas throughout the year from key industry participants and through desk research conducted by the team and NTT DATA, which also helps vet potential topics of interest. Survey topics and questions are designed to reflect major issues and trends facing both users and providers of logistics services.