This Week's Top Five Stories in Supply Chain
Is TikTok Shop Driving Consumer Trends and K-Beauty Demand?
The modern marketplace is vastly different from it was 10 years ago, with social media playing a greater role in spend than ever.
TikTok has revolutionised how consumers shop, with influencers being able to link directly to a shop as they advertise a clothing item, accessory, makeup palette and more.
Now, more than 30,000 beauty brands are active on the platform, with a category growth of 26%.
Why Effective Same-Day Delivery Needs More Than Just Speed
Same-day delivery has long been heralded as the next frontier in retail logistics, but its role is more complex than a simple end state for the industry.
Research from McKinsey suggests consumer expectations have already shifted significantly. Speed is no longer viewed as a premium add-on but part of a new normal influencing purchasing behaviour.
Nearly half of consumers have abandoned online purchases due to slow or unclear delivery timelines, underlining the growing importance of fulfilment in the buying journey. Delivery now serves as a competitive advantage that can determine whether a sale is won or lost.
The challenge is not demand alone, but the ability to deliver consistently at scale without eroding margins.
Zip: Creating Streamlined Supply Chains With Procure-to-Pay
Zip has launched automation for the full procure-to-pay workflow, applying AI agents to purchase requests, vendor management and payment processing across organisations that manage billions in annual spend.
The procurement platform provider has orchestrated more than US$500bn in spend for hundreds of companies including Anthropic, AMD, Discover, Dollar Tree, OpenAI and T-Mobile. The new automation extends AI capabilities to the accounting teams that record and reconcile those procurement transactions.
According to Deloitte's Q4 2025 CFO Signals Survey, 87% of CFOs consider AI critical for their 2026 operations. According to a Wakefield Research study, only 14% trust the technology to produce accurate accounting data independently.
How are Maersk and Altana Growing a Digital Trade Network?
In an era of constantly shifting compliance regulations and trade relations, Maersk and Altana have announced a partnership to accelerate global commerce.
The companies are developing a digital trade network – the first within a major global logistics infrastructure.
This will create a more streamlined and compliance-accurate supply chain.
Who has Joined the EU Sustainable Supply Chains Coalition?
A new coalition has formed in the European Parliament to push for legislation on agricultural and timber supply chains.
The EU Sustainable Supply Chains Coalition brings together companies, NGOs and stakeholders who want policy that addresses sustainability in commodity production and distribution networks.
The coalition includes 17 industry leaders alongside environmental organisations. According to the group, its aim is to create partnerships with producing companies and coordinate advocacy efforts between members on supply chain issues.
