The Global Supply Chain: How online grocery delivery companies can address the impact of the COVID 19 Pandemic

 

The transportation industry faces an unprecedented challenge in ensuring economic growth and stability. With a supply chain that is burdened with skyrocketing costs and unexpected problems, the industry must immediately adjust to the emerging trend. Online grocery delivery companies have been significantly impacted by the pandemic as tons of shipped items pile up massively at the ports further exacerbating logistics problems. Food supply chains have to combat post-pandemic issues such as increased price sensitivity to online purchases, response of retail and food service companies and ultimately the customer experience to shopping online in the midst of a pandemic that imposes healthcare restrictions across the globe

The world of E-commerce introduces a competitive atmosphere that facilitates the development of mobile devices like the smart phone or tablet which many experts agree has driven up online purchasing during the stay-at-home orders. Public health concerns that trigger the introduction of policies that protect the safety of the public represent a critical aspect of strategic issues in policy design and implementation for most companies. This is particularly important in the food industry where perishable items like vegetables have to be delivered within a certain period. Industry giants like Amazon were compelled to suspend part of their operations due to delivery delays

Faced with the challenges looming over the industry, a decisive response to the supply chain crisis will involve the introduction of an integrated logistics system that offers delivery and pick-up services at local stores as a shopping mode for customers. The pandemic should be seen as a catalyst to plan and respond more effectively to changing situations. The e-commerce platform should be integrated with offline methods to manage customer demand as consumers choose to switch to online purchasing to avoid infectious diseases or simply for convenience. As more companies struggle to adjust their business strategy in the light of changing policies that regulate public health, businesses like Amazon with solidified and established e-commerce platforms may have established their dominance. From inception, a strategic management system that captures unpredictable public policy changes especially in healthcare, transportation and logistics have provided such businesses with a competitive edge enabling them to adopt flexible, agile and adaptive management practices