Overview: IT in trade and logistics

The Russian market of automation of retail in 2016

Market situation

The Russian retail has not the best times. All this affects also the retail automation market. Customers first of all are interested in solutions which can help with involvement of new clients and provide additional revenue. Services of outsourcing, lease of computing powers and storage systems enjoy popularity. Experience of third-party integrators allows the companies to increase performance and reliability of own IT systems, and cloud services - to transfer capital costs to operating rooms. In general, among the general priorities – tasks of cost reduction on IT.

The market of retail continues to be reduced for this reason the main technology task of the retailers today – finding solutions capable to cut down their expenses on IT. Outsourcing services, lease of computing powers, disposal of old technologies which require serious service, leaving from RISK platforms on Intel continue to remain demanded", - Dmitry Tokar, the deputy CEO for work with large network trade enterprises of the company "considers Croc.

Dmitry Nikulin, the director of the department of SAP of NORBIT company (LANIT group), notes that from clients the product demand, the new clients and to generate additional revenue, so-called customer solutions allowing to attract is generally shown now.

With respect thereto, demand for the solutions designed to adjust accounting processes and to organize work is reduced. As in this aspect clients do not see serious opportunities for fast cost reduction and instant return of investments, - the expert adds.

According to Gennady Makhov, the director of business development of Jet Infosystems company, now trade organizations assign a leading role to questions of economic feasibility: cost reductions and maximizing potential profit on the implemented IT systems.

For example, under temporary tasks (preparation of annual or quarter accounts, pilot projects, etc.) some of our customers purchase computing powers and storage systems as service from a cloud, – he tells.

The Maykor-GMCS company notes that when choosing IT solutions and services retailers are guided by "fast victories" - projects with measurable return, transparent on terms. The modern retailer is not ready to invest in innovations for the sake of innovations, he captiously studies world experience and also experience of competitors.

The task of vendors and integrators is in that together with the customer to work and propose a certain set of solutions which will be useful to the retailer to the solution of the current tasks. Maykor-GMCS, for example, conducts active work with customers regarding development of scenarios of application of mobile applications, IoT, machine learning, - Sergey Osipov, the vice president of Maykor-GMCS says.

ICL Services considers that the put economic situation has a positive impact on development of IT in the retail industry: retailers are forced to cut down expenses and to build more dense communication with the consumers that is promoted first of all by development of IT. At the same time in the company notice that retailers refuse traditional IT outsourcing and pass to flexible service models of rendering IT services more and more.

Many large IT providers of Russia, according to ICL Services, already review the positioning from traditional methods of rendering services towards work on dynamic service projects which adapt to requests of the customer and solve his business challenges. Thus, it is possible to hold the level of price-quality ratio.

In general, speaking about the retail market, It should be noted the increasing automation of business and penetration of IT not only into internal infrastructure, but also into interaction with buyers. A basis for adoption of all important solutions on expansion of business in retail is complex data analysis, - say in ICL Services.

The market of retail is distinguished by the high competition and high rates of development therefore all companies working at it are forced to study to react to any changes in the environment very quickly.

Gennady Tarantasov, the area director Retail of Corus Consulting Group considers that all projects on implementation of business applications in retail which are implemented recently can be separated into three big directions.

The first are the projects on increase in efficiency and cost reduction allowing competently and at the beneficial prices to buy goods, to store them and so on. The second block of systems allows to raise extent of involvement of the client and to qualitatively change the system of interaction with it. Such solutions are allowed to propose to the buyer necessary for him goods at the correct prices and in the correct situation right now. The last class of solutions — the products developing the concept of omnichannel and adding new channels and methods of sales to the customer's arsenal that helps it to be effective and it is the most convenient to satisfy requirements for clients. All these systems help retailers to get big profit, - Tarantasov says.

Alexander Niznik, the CEO of Novardis, believes that now there is a trend on which market leaders in terms of automation leave further and further forward those who follow them.

The largest Russian companies come to large industrial solutions, such as SAP, thereby strengthening the positions before the companies of the second and third echelons. More and more companies understand that information systems are the base of competitive advantages. These systems allow retailers to predict a customer behavior in the future, but not to react reflex to market changes, - Alexander Niznik says.

Dmitry Tokar, Croc: Retail is a raging volcano in which there are some innovations all the time

For network retailers IT - not core business, but the cost item. Therefore, there is a crisis or it is absent, their priorities always same, and main of them, taking into account an economic situation – cost reduction. Crisis just urges on a situation, but all trends remain practically the same. Dmitry Tokar, the deputy CEO for work with large network trade enterprises of CROC company told about relevant technologies and trends in the field of retail in an interview of TAdviser.

Main trends of the market

Development of additional sales channels

Retailers move towards development of omnichannel trade, at the same time business divisions of customers show the increasing interest in this direction. Market participants are sure that this trend will only amplify.

Customers invest money in automation and start of new formats of business. For example, many retailers or already started, or start the e-commerce direction. At the same time the organizations which were initially developing only Internet platforms create networks of showrooms and points of issue now – there is a gradual interpenetration and mutual enrichment of sales channels, - Gennady Makhov, the director of business development of Jet Infosystems company says.

Gennady Tarantasov, the area director Retail of Corus Consulting Group, adds that even food-retailers open for themselves electronic trading though for them it is difficult to organize this process. Certainly, so far revenue from Internet trade in a total amount of income at them is small, but this important phenomenon which begins to work even at the markets, most complex for e-commerce, and it will begin to grow quickly soon.

Sergey Osipov, the vice president of Maykor-GMCS, considers that development of omnichannel is one of the most perspective directions of automation of retail. At the same time, in addition to traditional channels (online store, mobile applications, etc.), in the long term retailers should master sales by means of augmented reality, the expert considers.

Legislative changes

The separate direction of automation in retail is connected with legislative changes. So, for example, product retailers obliged to fix all turnover of alcohol in the Unified State Automated Information System (USAIS). And since February 1, 2017 in connection with entry into force of the federal law "About Use of the Cash Registers" all cash data will be already have to transferred in the online mode to the fiscal data operator for further use by the Federal Tax Service. This innovation will become the powerful catalyst of automation in retail trade – both in Enterprise-, and in a SMB segment, experts consider. In addition changes in network infrastructure of shops since cash desks will be connected to the Internet will be required.

Respectively also the cybersecurity perimeter will change – to the utmost there will be problems of ensuring antivirus protection, prevention of threats of purposeful DDoS or attacks on the critical applications earlier inaccessible to malefactors, - Gennady Makhov from Jet Infosystems notes.

Critics of such "automation on coercion" say that retailers are forced to spend IT budgets for conforming to requirements of the legislation, but not to implement what could make their buyers more satisfied. Regulating authorities, they say, resolve many issues of increase in control at the expense of retailers (for example, as in a case with the Unified State Automated Information System), and, eventually, at the expense of buyers, being covered with rhetoric about consumer protection.

Opponents object that the state thus tries to tighten the "lagging behind" retail to the minima which de facto became the standard in the industry. For example, the only shop in the remote dormitory area "at the house" has no incentives to begin to accept bank cards as and without it has good level of demand (and, perhaps, an unaccounted cash).

Sergey Osipov, the vice president of Maykor-GMCS, considers that retailers should use as much as possible implementation of such forced innovations in own favor: "For example, the cloud fiskalization can be used as an occasion to begin to analyze Big Data".

ICL Services tells that retailers began to pay attention to a question of transition to online cash desks only after the introduction of the law in force: information on tenders and tenders began to appear, retailers request information on the different solutions which are present at the market, select to themselves the supplier most profitable in every respect.

Important point at implementation of similar solutions is that retailers are not obliged to work with official technical service center any more, and in the right to service these cash registers or forces of own IT department, or to give on outsourcing to IT service provider. With respect thereto in 2017 several large tenders for the choice of the contractor which will undertake service of cash registers of the largest retailers of Russia can be open at once, - say in ICL Services.

Askar Rakhimberdiyev, the CEO and the co-founder of a cloud service for trade management of "MyWayhouse", reminds that he in addition to the Unified State Automated Information System and online cash desks, became obligatory as well the automated accounting of products from fur recently, and also online accounting of medicines, children's goods and other categories will in the future be added.

All these projects require existence of the Internet on sales points and also a certain level of automation of retail. Earlier small traders were able to afford to keep account in a notebook, using so-called autonomous cash desk. There was enough this set for conducting sales and collecting of statistics. Now for compliance to requirements to 54-FZ such entrepreneurs it will be necessary to deliver the cash program, to purchase suitable for the cash register equipment, to be connected to the fiscal data operator. Strangely enough, it is necessary not more simply to those owners of shops at which business is already automated — they will need or to buy new IT tools, or to upgrade already existing systems. It in addition to purchase of the new cash equipment, - Rakhimberdiyev tells.

Mobile cash desks and terminals of self-tinning

Retailers even more often arm selling assistants with mobile devices. Applications on such devices allow to obtain information on characteristics and existence of these or those goods, to find and identify the regular customer (according to the card of loyalty, the phone number, a name), to make out purchase (and even to accept payment by the card with the statement of the fiscal check) or additional services (setup, installation, an insurance, etc.).

Use of mobile applications, they are called still the mobile assistant to the seller, allows to service not just qualitatively buyers in rush hour, but also to optimize process of consultation and sales. For example, mobile POS from Microsoft allows to register necessary scenarios for sellers, from the first step before completion of purchase. It considerably reduces time for training of sellers who, as a rule, change rather often, - Sergey Osipov from Maykor-GMCS notices.

The increasing popularity of mobile POS — a trend of several last years, Askar Rakhimberdiyev says. According to him, tablets and mobile phones reached that level when for many users they can serve as a full substitute of computers and specialized POS systems for problems of automation of outlets.

Also self-service terminals in a trading floor allow to solve a service problem during peak loadings. Some retailers just bring the website of online store to an interactive panel. However it is not the best approach, Sergey Osipov is sure. According to him, the most effective is the complete solution representing not the just electronic directory of goods, but the full omnichannel frontal application installed on the self-service kiosk.

Mobile applications for buyers

Important trend is development of client mobile applications. More and more retailers develop similar programs as one of the most dynamic and efficient channels of interaction. Having got into the smartphone of the buyer, the retailer can not only inform him on marketing actions, discounts, but also to do the personalized offers.

With the help of mobile application the retailer can collect a lot of additional information: how efficient was this or that mailing through mobile application that is looked for by buyers through mobile application where they at the same time are, etc, - Sergey Osipov tells.

New payment methods

Retail networks provide to buyers more and more options of payment: practically everywhere accept bank cards, many retailers give the chance to pay purchases with the saved-up loyalty points. In some online stores for payment it is possible to use not only bank cards, but also the most popular payment systems. In the second half of 2016 in Russia earned Samsung Pay and Apple Pay which support expressed a number of retailers, including "Magnet", "M.Video", "Auchan".

There is demand and for a biometric payment system. In particular, implementation of such technology jointly with Sberbank was successfully implemented by Alphabet of Taste network in one of the shops.

Data analysis

Rapid development and noticeable reduction in cost of technologies of storage and data analysis open a number of opportunities for retail.

Sergey Osipov, the vice president of Maykor-GMCS, calls several possible scopes of this process. In particular data analysis can be applied for identification of correlations in joint acquisition of these or those names. "Changing the calculation of goods, creating sets, special offers or recommendations for buyers, retailers can increase sales volumes", - the expert is sure.

Establishment of additional seasonal fluctuations of demand and also distribution of demand in the working day, can significantly increase the accuracy of planning of loading of labor resources (sellers, cashiers) and to optimize costs.

Identification of deviations from "standard" process of work of retail chain stores allows to fight against fraud and theft.

The system of recommendations of goods to clients can be one more example. For example, to the participant of the loyalty program individual terms on certain goods, proceeding from the analysis of history of its purchases can be offered, to the history of viewings the given type of goods on the website of the company.

Development of programs of loyalty

It is also possible to call development of programs of loyalty one more trend of the market. Transition from the simple programs focused generally on providing discounts to more difficult which cornerstone accumulation of points is is observed. Thanks to mobile applications buyers can see a status of the account of loyalty, obtain information on the existing stocks and advantageous offers.

Sergey Osipov from Maykor-GMCS calls an interesting trend gamification of programs of loyalty.

It, for example, charge of points for original recipes in programs of loyalty of product retailers, tender of sporting achievements among participants of programs of sports shops, etc. Use of popularity of the game "Pokemon Go" became a phenomenon of the last time in a number of programs of loyalty, - Osipov notes.

IT experiments

In search of advantageous offers retailers experiment, especially if see a real opportunity to earn or on the contrary, to optimize the expenses in technology.

Dmitry Tokar, the deputy CEO for work with large network trade enterprises of Croc company as a similar example provides the project of the company in one of construction hypermarkets.

In one of construction hypermarkets we implemented a monitoring system and forecasting of number of visitors to simplify management of shops. The solution was implemented on the basis of several open source of the analytical systems which the flow of buyers on the basis of a set of factors – intra day dynamics models, a day of the week, micro and macrotrends, a seasonal factor. Having forecast accuracy in 90%, the customer can leave the necessary number of cash desks, optimizing a salary fund and simplifying management of shop, - the representative tells Croc.

Gennady Tarantasov, the area director Retail of Corus Consulting Group, notices a large number of pilot projects in the field of retail automation.

Retailers are not ready to begin many large projects — they tries for itself projects in new areas to be one step away ahead of the market, and already based on pilot projects, count results and make the decision on system change of processes, - Tarantasov says.

Monitoring systems of the prices

In the conditions of fight for the buyer competent price policy can become a decisive factor. For example, the prediction of demand based on historical data seasonal features, etc. can be false without the current price situation in the market and also other actions of competitors (for example, mass outdoor advertizing).

In these conditions the popularity is purchased by monitoring systems of the prices and other essential behavior of competitors. And from such systems a certain flexibility, but not just an opportunity to enter (or to import in electronic form) data on the competitive prices is required, - the vice president of Maykor-GMCS Sergey Osipov tells. - For example, for product retail, retail of construction and finishing materials, inexpensive clothes and footwear has value not only monitoring of the prices in similar shops and the Internet, but also in the markets. Certainly, in order that it is the most effective to use results of such analysis, mechanisms of the flexible change in price will be required.

Outsourcing and clouds

Within minimization of cost of IT retailers even more often report the existing ICT infrastructure to outsourcing and use cloud services. It gives them the chance to transfer capital costs to operating rooms and also using examination of the system integrator to increase performance and reliability of own systems, Dmitry Tokar from Croc says.

It gives the project of transfer of a system of transport logistics of Mon'delis Russia company to a cloud as an example. It allowed the customer without additional costs on IT to update the used application to the latest version without purchase of new capacities, to get more productive service, technical support in mode 24×7 and an opportunity to manage flexibly the consumed resources.

As for clouds, as Askar Rakhimberdiyev notes, the CEO and the co-founder of MyWayhouse service, gradual distribution of solutions SaaS began already for a long time, but if earlier cloud model need of reliable connection to the Internet on outlets, then now seriously constrained this mandatory requirement for work with the state information systems.

Internet of Things

Use of technologies of Internet of Things has big perspectives in retail. And it is possible to think up many scenarios of their application.

For example, the temperature sensors and humidity installed in premises of product retail can transfer information to a centralized system that will promote the maximum safety of goods.

The counters of visitors and devices fixing "thermal cards" of the movement of visitors on trading floors allow to obtain information on the number of clients and can give information for optimization of the calculation of goods.

The devices transferring data on a remaining balance of goods (when the weight of the shelf becomes less certain value or when shelf illumination in several points increases and remains at this level a progressive tense, etc.) can give a signal to filling up goods in the hall.

The vice president of Maykor-GMCS Sergey Osipov tells about an interesting example of use of IoT-technologies:

For example, in shop electronic price labels and screens on which information for buyers is issued are set. Analysis systems of "Big Data" and predictive analytics create recommendations of reduction of price of certain names of goods that it is connected with expiry date of the available stocks, reduction of prices by competitors and also increase of the seasonal demand. On a centralized basis managing the system of informing buyers and electronic price labels, it is possible to begin in specific timepoint demonstration of advertizing messages that from certain o'clock the price of a number of names will be reduced. In the determined timepoint the price and on electronic price labels changes (orders about the change in price, legislations, necessary in terms of requirements, can be signed in electronic form).

Solutions for control of the goods delivery

Development of omnichannel and, as a result, universal distribution of Internet orders, forces retailers to solve a problem of planning and control of the goods delivery. Negative experience of the buyer at a delivery stage (unpredictability of terms, inability of the retailer to report a delivery status, delay of couriers, lack of delivery at payment, damage of goods, etc.) are capable to destroy once and for all trust of the buyer to retail network. Therefore wide circulation receive the solutions allowing to plan and control the goods delivery as in the presence at the retailer of the delivery service, and when using external services.

Infographics: information technologies in trade

Technologies radically change practice of interaction of buyers and sellers. Having talked to retailers and having estimated the best practices of application of IT in retail of TAdviser and Corus Consulting prepared infographics and the overview of perspectives of emergence of these shops of the future (in more detail...)

(the image is clickable)

The Russian market of automation of logistics in 2016

Market situation of automation of warehouse logistics

Automation of warehouses assumes such purposes as cost reduction on conducting warehouse actions, increase in efficiency of work of a warehouse and optimization of warehouse processes.

The domestic market of warehouse solutions (WMS, Warehouse Management System is a warehouse management system) in 2016 continued decrease. The market very thinly reacts to a business status in general therefore in connection with decline in demand from small business small players feel worse. At the same time the large companies selecting serious solutions with some adjustments continue the movement on the drawn-up development plan.

We traditionally work in a segment of medium and large business and, to be recognized, loading on projects makes 100%, - Vasily Balakin, the department director Logistics of Corus Consulting Group notes.

According to Daniil Pershin, the head of marketing of Solvo company, the crisis trend of the choice of a system is noticeable by the principle now "the cheaper, the better". As a result often potential customers try to compare incomparable on functionality and amount of the offered services of the solution on one criterion "the original cost of the agreement".

The exception is made by large players who operate with the concept "ownership cost" and weigh all components including costs scattered in time, approaches of fixed price against time and material. Anyway in the fall of 2016 we observe noticeable revival in the market, the number of tenders sharply increased, - the representative of Solvo says.

The market of warehouse solutions is quite competitive. In it a large number of solutions both from domestic, and from foreign vendors is presented. At the same time, customers impose more and more requirements to opportunities of standard functionality and terms of projects on implementation now.

Requirements grow, terms are reduced. In the conditions of the accruing competition these conditions do work in this market extremely difficult for all its participants, - Dmitry Nikulin, the director of the department of SAP of NORBIT company (LANIT group) says.

InStock WMS (IsWMS)

the Information system InStock WMS (IsWMS) is the full-function, autonomous and quickly paid back warehouse management system automating processes on averages and large warehouse complexes of any types. A system allows to manage the movement of goods in a warehouse, priority of selection of orders, in details to consider the rendered services, to control work of employees of a warehouse. The data access of the InStock WMS system is possible on the Internet both for clients, and for their partners / suppliers. The program is developed for the Russian market, but successfully implemented in the territory of many CIS countries in warehouses of producers of goods, distributors, operators of safe custody of 3PL.

Trends of the market of automation of warehouse logistics

Among the main trends of the market it is possible to select gain of the competition both among software solutions, and among partners in implementation. Besides, in the market there are more various set-up solutions allowing to reduce terms and implementation cost. The investigation of this phenomenon - software implementation cost reduction (software cost, implementation cost, ownership cost).

Among other trends also increase in requirements to functionality of a system and to integration into the warehouse equipment is observed.

In general, complex warehouse systems become more available to small warehouse (for small warehouses and distribution centers and even for warehouses of shops). Thus, increase in demand and interest from potential clients is observed, - Dmitry Nikulin from NORBIT says.

Evgenia Vykhodtseva, the commercial director of iSolutions, sees great interest to automation of warehouse logistics at the Russian companies which are engaged in production of food products (the agro-industrial companies, dairy productions, etc.).

The state financial support of the Russian production gave to the enterprises the chance of development of production, increase in output. Respectively a necessary condition of stable product sales is increase in efficiency of warehouse logistics. It is difficult to achieve such result without automation therefore more and more companies of this segment plan implementation of WMS systems, - she notes.

On the warehouse Sanflauer-M complex InStock WMS is implemented

for the purpose of improvement of work of a warehouse complex of Sanflauer-M company which services "the Bridgestone of the CIS" uses the decision to automate work of a warehouse was jointly made. In selection process of the systems of the company stopped the choice on the warehouse WMS automation system from In-Stok Tieknolodris company. In InStock WMS system implementation project deliverable, warehouse processing of goods of Bridgestone of the CIS company was transferred to strict lot-based accounting and integrated on information flows with a management system of "SAP R/3" that accelerated information processing and shipment of goods thereby having increased capacity of a warehouse. Application of the InStock WMS system automated process of accounting of all warehouse transactions for tariffing of services and drawing of accounts to clients that led to cost reduction by settlings with clients. Accuracy of accounting of warehousing services increased competitiveness of a warehouse complex.

In difficult financial conditions more and more companies when choosing WMS solutions pay attention to economic performance indicators (ROI, TCO). In addition to "the input cost in the project" the companies began to consider the cost and risks connected with further support and development of a system.

Against the background of it interest in the parametriruyemy, flexible solutions allowing to react to changes in business without attraction of additional extra-budgets on completion increases. When choosing integrator stability of business of IT integrator, financial provision of activity as guarantee of accomplishment of the contract obligations began to play an important role", - Vasily Balakin, the department director Logistics of Corus Consulting Group tells.

Among other trends about which market participants speak It should be noted "mobility" and "augmented reality". More and more companies use tablet computers, the smartwatch and smartphones for identification of goods in a warehouse. In addition, vendors popularize the idea of use of virtual reality (VR glasses, etc.) for performance improvement of warehouse personnel.

Daniil Pershin, the head of marketing of Solvo, also assumes that demand for complete solutions which integrate several standards will increase over time: WMS, Yard, TMS, Labor Management and other.

Besides, according to the expert, gain popularity of a system on alternative Oracle and MS SQL databases. Thus the principle of cross-platform for solutions of management of a warehouse can become very important when choosing a system.

Trends of the market of automation of transport logistics

CRM for logistics

Actively developing Internet trade, and transition of the increasing number offline shops in online promotes growth of orders of the logistic companies and expansion of the market on B2C segment where the level of rendering services plays a key role in the course of customer retention. The transport and logistic companies aim to render to clients today the best service therefore they are actively interested in solutions which allow to automate all complex of customer interaction.

Such systems include not only automation of sales, but also process of "production" of logistics services. The quality of service for the client is closely connected with that, how simply and conveniently it can interact via the channel convenient to it. At the same time the client does not want to write or call somewhere once again, it is necessary for him that the service was rendered quickly and with due notices about the status, terms and possible changes.

In this area we see high demand on the whole complex of the solutions working in a linking, for example, of CRM for sales management and service together with contact center for customer interaction, - Maria Bar-Biryukova, the deputy CEO of Corus Consulting Group tells. - Moreover, the logistic companies aim to find already ready CRM solution which is completely satisfying to requirements of transport company and not requiring serious completions. Such systems are necessary even to leaders of the industry, for example, the similar systems (based on Microsoft CRM) were implemented in the companies in DPD, PONY Express, RUSKON.

Importance of BI systems

One more important trend is a preguessing of desires and needs of the client. The consumer wants to think and make a minimum of actions less. Here BI solutions using which it is possible to create a portrait of the client help and to offer that he wants in due time.

It is very important for logistic operators therefore the steady trend on BI products which we see now will grow and develop, - Maria Bar-Biryukova believes.

Schedule system and monitoring for multimodal transportation

In the long term the next years in Russia multimodal technologies of transportation can find the application.

As Dmitry Tokar notes, the deputy CEO for work with large network trade enterprises of Croc company, multimodal schemes of delivery are known for the technological effectiveness long ago, however in our country in view of difficult transport infrastructure not enough attention was paid to their providing. The technology of contrailer transportations – the combined railway and automobile transportations of trailers can be an example. The schedule system including monitoring of several means of transport is necessary for ensuring uniform loading of infrastructure of RO-RO-RAIL. It requires cooperation of several transport organizations. At the same time, accurate interaction of participants of process is possible only in the presence of the unified information system.

Implementation of Big Data for retail logistics

At the current stage of development of the sphere of sales of goods and services more and more high requirements are imposed to efficiency of operating activities of retail chain stores, the industry becomes more and more dynamic. For satisfaction of needs of the sphere of retail it is necessary to provide full control not only over supply logistics, but also over network logistics of each goods separately. All key participants should be involved in this process: transport companies, cargo owners, retail chain stores.

According to experts, complex TMS, ERP and CRM in their classical understanding cannot implement this task in view of their isolation from external information flows.

Transition from micrologistics of certain retailers and logistic companies to mesologistics of the enterprises of one industry accessory should become a key evolutionary factor in this case, Artur Rakhmatulin, the head of department of intelligent transport systems of Technoserv company considers.

According to him, it is possible to reach it first of all due to processing of data bulks (Big Data). The efficiency of Big Data is already confirmed by many retailers when using the principle of omnichannel marketing for interaction and communication with target audience.

For retail logistics key target factors of implementation of Big Data should become:

• increase in effective management of information flows;
• creation of a common information space (warehouse, transport, client logistics);
• development of the uniform quality standards;
• ensuring adaptivity of routes and delivery time in real time;
• improvement of quality of planning of logistic resources and optimization of use of floor spaces;
• increase in efficiency of tracking of movements of goods in all sales points;
• expansion of opportunities of interaction of retail chain stores with clients.

Nevertheless, implementation of Big Data requires big computing powers that is especially relevant for saturated information of the industry of transport logistics. In turn the separation of information infrastructure of retail chain stores and logistic companies will inevitably lead to the exponential growth of capital and operating costs for creation, service and upgrade of local DPCs, Rakhmatulin is sure.

Interest in pilotless transport

For a long time the idea of use for cargo delivery of different types of pilotless transport, whether it be small drones or huge container carriers reigns over minds of representatives of business. The most courageous even managed to perform it in practice, despite obviously insufficiently worked legal base.

Everything indicates that robotization will become the following key trend in the world of logistics. However most the enterprises will need considerable term for transition to in a revolutionary way new technology base. Therefore it is expected that throughout considerable time business will use the hybrid system combining pilotless transport and classical transportation using human work, - Dmitry Tokar is sure. - At the same time still none of developers submitted the software which would allow to integrate effectively in one information system solutions for control of pilotless transport and solutions for automation of the classical delivery service.

Other trends

One of the most noticeable IT trends for the market of transport logistics is cloud computing. Information exchange, tracking of transportation of loads, remote control and control over transactions and personnel, the analysis and automation using stationary and mobile devices become the requirement of time. In general automation allows the companies to optimize costs and gives them advantage over competitors.

In addition, more and more companies think also of use of Internet of Things. Analysts claim that by 2020 about 50 billion devices will be connected to the Internet.

Consolidation of devices in one information space using the "smart" systems forms a huge information warehouse and opens the mass of opportunities for management of logistic processes, - Dmitry Tokar from Croc considers.