Use of Visibility Solutions Growing as a Risk Mitigator

In a time when geopolitical tension, tariffs, inflation and shipping disruption dominate the supply chain environment, agility is key.

A critical element of that agility is visibility.

“Customer expectations for real-time tracking and operational agility have evolved into standardized procedures and requirements, shaping the new norm for supply chain management,” states a new report by Tive, a real-time supply chain visibility solutions provider.

Companies also are more aware that visibility is key to “building resilient, future-ready supply chains that are better equipped to navigate modern challenges such as geopolitical and trade tensions,” The State of Visibility 2025 found. They also are using visibility to enhance sustainability measures.

But while adoption of visibility technologies is growing, companies still face such concerns as cost, data accuracy, skills and capabilities, and digital integration. And they are still relying on relying on a number of legacy, low-tech methods.

Growth — and Barriers to Growth

Key visibility technologies — the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) showed year-over-year growth among companies surveyed. Adoption of IoT, which aids in real-time shipment tracking, increased to 60 percent among 2025 respondents, compared to 55 percent in 2024. AI adoption, used for predictive analytics in such areas as inventory optimization, demand forecasting, and risk mitigation, grew to 45 percent in 2025 results, versus 35 percent in 2024.

Customer demands and experiences are driving advances in both technologies, according to the report. These will help mitigate existing challenges while opening up opportunities for operational improvements, sustainable practices and more. Visibility can also be beneficial in strengthening supplier relationships and guiding decision-making.

Industries that can benefit most from these visibility technologies are consumer goods, retail and perishable logistics, the study states.

The top five uses of real-time visibility data are:

• Carrier performance
• Inventory management
• Dwell time analysis
• Route benchmarking
• Preventing loss or theft.

Impacting their adoption, in order of importance, are cost, integration into legacy systems, data accuracy, ROI uncertainty and lack of internal skills.

“Businesses that do not address these gaps run the risk of falling behind in this competitive market,” the study states.

The Sustainability Tie

Customers are interested in sustainability and environmental impacts, and visibility has become a necessity among companies wanting to advance their supply chain sustainability objectives and cater to those customers.

More than a third (35 percent) of respondents said they use visibility tools for such sustainability measures as tracking carbon emissions, optimizing routes and reducing waste. Nearly half (49 percent) are among the uses of visibility tools, according to 35 percent) said they use “stated that carbon tracking enables them to monitor and report their overall carbon footprint, while 35 percent believe that improving circular economy practices will help when it comes to tracking the life cycle of materials and products, minimizing waste, and improving resource utilization,” the report says.

Other uses include tracking life cycles of materials, fuel efficiency and reducing the use of plastics.

Trucking

Visibility tools have numerous uses in trucking, from monitoring driver/carrier performance to shipment updates. IoT usage jumped 200 percent this year compared to last, according to the report.

“Survey results show that 21 percent of respondents now rely on IoT devices as their primary tracking method, up from just 7 percent in 2024,” it states. However, email is the most preferred option, with 33 percent citing it in 2025, up from 30 percent in 2024.

Other tracking methods include phone calls, proprietary software and 3PL-curated track and trace.

IoT and AI continue to be important tools for supply chain visibility, with their usage increasing for such dynamics as tracking and tracing, carrier performance, inventory management, decision-making — and most importantly, agility.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Eoneren)