Logistics Execs See Volatility as New Normal

Logistics executives in emerging markets around the world are bracing for another year of volatility in trade, geopolitics and the global economy. As a result, they’re increasingly looking to manage uncertainty by turning to AI, scrutinizing costs and reconfiguring their supply chains.

Those are among the major findings in the just-released Emerging Markets Index by Agility predicts; such concerns also impact retailers who receive merchandise via global supply chains.

“Leaders in business and government realize there is no comfort zone, no time to rest,” said Agility Chairman Tarek Sultan. “They’re searching for durable paths to growth at a time of extraordinary uncertainty. They see AI as both a contributor to volatility and a tool to manage it. They’re facing new trade barriers in real time. They’re pushing the energy transition, and they’re navigating conflict between economic partners.”

In a survey that drew responses from just over 500 logistics professionals, 86% say they expect increased volatility in 2026 or view trade, political and economic turbulence (including continued tariff turmoil mostly instigated by America’s Trump administration) as the “new normal.”

The Agility survey also shows near-universal adaption of AI within the sector (98%) and suggests that shifts in global production and sourcing – spurred first by COVID, then U.S.-China friction, and last year by a wave of tariff increases – are continuous today as companies restructure and fine-tune their supply chains.

Click here to download the complete survey, which also includes rankings of emerging markets, but not those of well-established players such as the U.S., Canada and much of Europe.