Logistics companies gear up to meet festive rush, with AI help

• Q-comm forces firms to reorient preparations

- S SHANTHI

LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY chain companies expect a 20-40% increase in festive sales this year, fuelled by pent-up demand. To make the most of it, many players such as Shiprocket, Porter, Hexalog, Zippee, and Shadowfax have enhanced tech capabilities, hired gig workers, and increased the fleet size. Some of them have specifically heightened their focus on Tier 2 and 3 cities that have been outpacing metros in festive e-commerce growth.

Logistics unicorn Shiprocket has upgraded its warehousing infrastructure with AI-driven inventory and demand forecasting systems. On the merchant enablement side, it is rolling out tools like Co-pilot, Shunya.ai, Sense AI, MCP, and RevProtect to help merchants capture festive demand. "This festive season, we anticipate one of the strongest demand surges in recent years, driven by rising consumer confidence & accelerated adoption of online shopping in Bharat," Atul Mehta, CEO, domestic shipping, Shiprocket, said.