"Predicting trends is notoriously challenging. It is difficult to know ahead of time which trends will have long-term effect on businesses and which ones are simply parts of a short-lived hype. To identify and understand trends early on in their development we established the Logistics Trend Radar to help us and our customers stay ahead of the curve," said Markus Kückelhaus, Vice President Innovation and Trend Research, DHL.

The 2016 Logistics Trend Radar provides valuable insights and information on ongoing transformations and latest trends likely to shape the future of logistics - from macro trends such as the changing energy and trade landscape to micro trends such as logistics startups unbundling the logistics industry. It reveals in-depth what sectors will be affected by developments and time frames for potential impact or introduction over the next decade.

Artificial intelligence and personalization are behind several of the most transformational trends of the 2016 report - including intelligent supply chains that use self-learning or 'machine learning' systems. The impact of data-driven and autonomous supply chains provides an opportunity for previously unimaginable levels of optimization in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing and last mile delivery that could become a reality in less than half a decade despite high set-up costs deterring early adoption in logistics.

Changing consumer behavior and the desire for personalization are behind two other top trends Batch Size One and On-demand Delivery: Set to have a big impact on logistics, on-demand delivery will enable consumers to have their purchases delivered where and when they need them by using flexible courier services.