Amid Volatility, Business Leaders Prioritize Supply Chain Resilience to Meet Growing Customer Demands

Cleo research finds 83% of executives have elevated supply chain resiliency to be as important as cybersecurity, explaining why businesses are aggressively ramping up supply chain technology investments

Cleo, the pioneer and global leader of the Ecosystem Integration software category and provider of the Cleo Integration Cloud (CIC) platform for supply chain orchestration, today released its 2025 Global Supply Chain Executive Report, revealing that rising customer expectations are driving supply chain strategy shifts for every company surveyed. Top customer expectations include:

• Higher product quality (79%)
• Faster delivery (75%)
• Improved customer service (66%)

At the same time, 75% of executives are concerned about geopolitical issues impacting global supply chain operations over the next two years. Economic concerns cited include:

• Inflation (60%)
• Regulatory changes (35%)
• Tariffs (33%)

The report, titled “Expect More from Your Supply Chain: How Business Leaders are Reinventing Supply Chains to Meet Rising Demands,” also finds that 83% of executives rank supply chain resilience as critical as cybersecurity, and many are turning to technology to strengthen their operations. To bolster resilience, 47% are considering artificial intelligence (AI), recognizing its potential to automate processes, predict disruptions, and enhance decision-making.

“As customer expectations rise and global challenges evolve, businesses can no longer afford to react—they must proactively anticipate and adapt,” said Tushar Patel, CMO at Cleo. “Building supply chain agility and resilience is vital for companies that want to keep operations running seamlessly, profitably, and competitively, especially in an increasingly unpredictable environment.”

Other technological investments that executives are prioritizing include:

• Automation: 93% use or plan to use automation within two years to increase efficiencies in areas like supply chain operations and customer service
• Real-Time Data: 66% say real-time data improves decision-making and customer service
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): 55% are considering artificial intelligence to enhance the customer experience

“By leveraging automation, real-time data integrations, and artificial intelligence, businesses can create a competitive advantage,” added Patel. “Companies can proactively pivot to market changes, strengthen customer and supplier relationships through real-time insights, and prove they are a reliable, trustworthy supply chain partner that gets the job done on-time in-full, leading to repeat business that boosts revenue.”

Beyond operational efficiencies, businesses are also focusing on environmental initiatives, as 47% of customers have rising sustainability standards. The report found that 97% of companies have a sustainability program, driven by goals such as positioning themselves as conscientious industry leaders (55%) and reducing costs (35%).

As organizations work to lower energy consumption, minimize waste, and implement environmentally friendly logistics solutions, green practices are becoming a key pillar of long-term supply chain strategy by aligning environmental responsibility with financial goals and customer satisfaction.

Download the Report

Cleo’s 2025 Global Supply Chain Executive Report is available online at no cost. To learn more about the latest trends impacting today’s manufacturing, logistics, technology, and retail supply chain companies, view the infographic or click here to access the full report.

About the Report

The primary research goal was to understand key challenges business leaders are facing as they enter 2025, and the strategies they are employing to manage them. The research was conducted in Q42024 and covered geopolitical issues, customer expectations, inflation, taxes, tariffs, sustainability, AI, and their supply chain.

About Dimensional Research

Dimensional Research® provides practical market research for technology companies. We partner with our clients to deliver actionable information that reduces risks, increases customer satisfaction, and grows the business. Our researchers are experts in the applications, devices, and infrastructure used by modern businesses and their customers. For more information, visit www.dimensionalresearch.com.

About Cleo Integration Cloud

Cleo Integration Cloud (CIC) is a cloud-based integration platform, purpose-built to design, build, operate, and optimize critical ecosystem integration processes. The CIC platform brings end-to-end integration visibility across API, MFT, EDI, and non-EDI integrations, giving technical and business users the confidence to rapidly onboard trading partners, enable integration between applications, and accelerate revenue-generating business processes. On the platform, businesses have the choice of self-service, managed services, or a blended approach – ensuring complete flexibility and control over their B2B integration strategy.

About Cleo

Cleo is an ecosystem integration software company focused on business outcomes, ensuring each customer’s potential is realized by delivering solutions that make it easy to discover and create value through the movement and integration of B2B enterprise data. Cleo gives customers strategic, “outside-in” visibility into the critical end-to-end business flows happening across their ecosystems of partners and customers, marketplaces, and internal cloud and on-premise applications. Our solutions empower teams to drive business agility, accelerate onboarding, facilitate the modernization of key business processes, and capture new revenue streams by reimagining and remastering their digital ecosystem through robust application, B2B, and data integration technologies. For more information, visit www.cleo.com or call +1.815.282.7695.

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