Supply chain managers say one of their top headaches heading into 2025 is a data accuracy gap that leaves many struggling to find the level of insights and visibility required to respond quickly to market changes, according to a report from RAIN RFID and Internet of Things provider Impinj.
Even worse, many managers are overconfident in their data. The majority (91%) of supply chain managers believe they are equipped to drive accurate supply chain visibility, but the reality is that only a third (33%) consistently obtain accurate, real-time inventory data.
And in turn, that gap also hinders supply chain managers’ ability to address challenges such as counterfeit goods, shrink and theft, misload and delivery errors, meeting sustainability requirements, and effectively implementing AI within their organization’s supply chain. Those results came from Seattle-based Impinj’s “Supply Chain Integrity Outlook 2025” report, which was based on a survey of 1,000 US supply chain managers.
“Supply chain managers continue to face data blind spots that prevent them from ensuring secure, reliable, and adaptable supply chains,” Impinj Chief Revenue Officer Jeff Dossett said in a release. “It’s essential that organizations address the data accuracy gap by putting technology in place to surface accurate data that fuels the real-time, actionable insights and visibility needed to ensure supply chain resilience.”
In additional findings, the study showed that over half (52%) of supply chain managers face challenges responding to rapid peaks in customer demand driven by social media- and influencer-driven trends. Nearly half (47%) of supply chain managers also report that changes in customer demand due to growth in social media storefronts (49%) and the rise of the thrift movement (47%) are among the top challenges for their organization’s supply chain.
The survey also identified the most significant supply chain integrity challenges and priorities for several sectors:
- in retail: 65% of supply chain managers agree it’s a challenge for their organization to reduce the amount of counterfeit goods entering the supply chain
- also in retail: 60% of retail supply chain managers surveyed also agree that reducing rates of shrink and theft is a challenge for their organization, and 99% are investing in measures to mitigate these concerns
- in the food, grocery, and restaurant sector, 82% of supply chain managers report challenges reducing shrink, which is primarily due to shoplifting (45%), food spoilage (37%), and food waste (35%)
- in transportation and logistics, 74% of surveyed supply chain managers are concerned about growing volumes of Load Planning Problems (LPPs), misloads, and delivery errors
