Sparq

Here's the number you'd expect the CMO to lead with: 87% That's how many transportation and logistics decision-makers expect their technology and AI budgets to grow next fiscal year. But the number I keep coming back to is 49%. Nearly half are consolidating their vendor relationships. And 62% are demanding faster returns on their investments. Think about that. More investment. Fewer partners. Less patience for results. To me, that's the more interesting story. Buyers aren't just changing where they spend. They're changing what it takes to earn that spend. Capabilities and promises aren't enough. Partners need to demonstrate that they understand the business problem, can solve it, and can prove the impact. And I don't think that's just a transportation and logistics story. Sparq commissioned independent research with 313 enterprise T&L decision-makers to better understand what's shaping their 2027 priorities. If you're interested in where enterprise buying is headed, the full report is here: https://lnkd.in/e-ms8-T9 Sometimes the most interesting number isn't the biggest one.

A good ROI should make you more ambitious. That's my takeaway from new independent transportation and logistics research Sparq commissioned. 90% of decision-makers say their implemented technology or AI investments have met or exceeded ROI expectations. And 62% are requiring faster returns from vendors. I like what that tells us. Leaders are seeing value, and they're getting more deliberate about what deserves the next investment. Better margins. More capacity. Better decisions for the people running the operation every day. We asked over 300 enterprise decision-makers how they're thinking about those priorities for 2027. If you're making those investment decisions, their answers are worth your time. Download Sparq's 2027 Transportation & Logistics Insights Report: https://lnkd.in/eCgsZCC5

Peak season has a way of testing every assumption in the operating plan. 92% of transportation and logistics decision-makers surveyed in new research commissioned by Sparq say they're mostly or fully prepared for the 2026 holiday peak. That's encouraging. But even among those who feel prepared, 53% still rank demand forecasting accuracy among their three least-prepared supply chain challenges. For me, the interesting question is what happens when the forecast changes. Who can adjust capacity? How quickly does dispatch get the information? And can teams see the cost and service implications before making the call? That's where operational readiness gets tested. Our new 2027 Transportation & Logistics Insights Report explores how enterprise leaders are thinking about these challenges and their next technology investments. See the full findings: https://lnkd.in/eAHEwBSZ

Some of the hardest-working colleagues are doing work outside their job descriptions: quietly keeping disconnected systems working together. Pulling the exports. Lining up the reports. Catching the system that runs a day behind before anyone else notices. Spending two hours every night getting two systems on speaking terms. Fragmented Data is the opposite of quiet about it. In Episode 2 of Sparq's We’re Into That: The Worst Wingman, connecting inventory and billing is his whole personality. Connect the data. Let your people be experts again, not go-betweens. Fragmented Data is going to need a new hobby. #EnterpriseAI #WereIntoThat #DigitalEngineering #ConnectedData

The best way to align with customers is sharing examples of how you're helping other partners solve big problems. Customers ask “Can you help me accurately figure out what’s in stock, what’s been billed and what can ship by Friday?” Giving them examples of how we deliver those solutions earns our seat at the table. In Episode 2 of @Sparq's We're Into That: The Worst Wingman, Fragmented Data has a different plan, and he’s very proud of it: two hours every night getting inventory and billing to agree. Live answers on a call? Ask again tomorrow. Sales has a type: data that's already there when the customer asks. We're Into That. #EnterpriseAI #WereIntoThat #DigitalEngineering #ConnectedData #Sparq

Few things worry me more in operations than a process that only works because one person shows up. Inventory lives in one system. Billing lives in another. Someone spends two hours every night making them agree. It works until that person takes a day off, or until AI starts making decisions on top of it. We call that a single point of failure. Fragmented Data calls it commitment. Meet him in Episode 2 of Sparqs Were Into That: The Worst Wingman. Fragmented Data can keep the coffee. #EnterpriseAI #WereIntoThat #DigitalEngineering #ConnectedData