Without a doubt, the e-commerce industry is booming all over the world.

With more and more people shopping daily from various e-commerce sites, online retail has become a massive yet complex business. To manage the growth in e-commerce and its moving parts, the logistics sector is having to keep up.

What is e-commerce logistics?

E-commerce logistics refers to the process of storing and shipping goods from an online store to the customer’s destination. Logistics in e-commerce platforms also entails the management of inventory during picking, packing, and shipping any orders made online.

Thanks to today’s globally intelligent logistics networks, users can purchase goods anywhere online, and track in real-time where their package is located. Such systems make it easier for users to shop anywhere in the world and facilitate the flow of information across borders, which helps boost buyer confidence.

Standards for visibility of logistics

So, to maintain the supply of goods globally, the logistics sector must be evermore streamlined and efficient.

Not an easy task given all the complexities.

Having a bird’s eye view will help optimize the management and reduce the costs of these complex and increasingly global supply chains. From logistics service providers to freight transporters and their customers, everyone needs to know exactly where their shipments are, at any moment.

That’s where standards can help.

Our standards enable real-time, end-to-end visibility over the entire supply chain. Companies and users can know exactly where things are at any point in time, where they have been before, and why.

For Alibaba’s Zhu, who was formerly the Chair of ISO/TC 154, the ISO technical committee dealing with standardized data exchange to foster trade facilitation, the benefits of using ISO standards in the field of logistics are clear: “ISO standards remove trade barriers, improve logistical processes, and create a common language for all market participants.”

BS ISO 23354:2020 Business requirements for end-to-end visibility of logistics flow aims to improve data interchange efficiency. It is based on the semantic data model of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), notably the Multimodal Transport Reference Data Model (MMT-RDM).

Designed to reduce the cost of interconnection between logistics information service systems (LISS) and users who need such logistics information, the standard sets out three business requirements for the visibility of logistics traffic flow:

• LISS network architecture requirements

• Visibility data interchange requirements between LISSs

• Visibility data interface and process requirements for a LISS network

To read more about how standards are shaping the future of transport, click here.

Digital trust and the importance of data standards

Logistics visibility needs to be efficient and cost-effective. That’s why logistics information service systems are constantly pushing for more valuable and standardized event status data for different data users.

Standard development in this area is still ongoing. Standards that aim to establish data connections among LISS networks and satisfy different data providers’ and users’ requirements will be vital in the future logistics supply chain.

There are other available standards that support the flow and security of data in the logistics supply chain.

For example, BS EN ISO/IEC 27001 Information technology. Security techniques. Information security management systems. Requirements helps businesses implement a robust approach to managing information security (infosec) and building resilience.

In a world where protecting commercially sensitive information is critical, this standard provides an excellent framework that helps logistic organizations manage and protect their information assets so that they remain safe and secure. It helps them to continually review and refine the way they do this, not only for today but also for the future.

To ensure your logistics organization is prepared to keep up with future demand, buy these key standards today.

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Overall, standards will go a long way in helping companies scale up their business to meet customer needs and deliver value. It’s time to unlock the full potential of your supply chains. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, supply chain innovation is at your fingertips with instant access to over 100,000 best practice documents. Request to learn more.