Executive Summary

As lifestyle brands expand into new markets, resilient supply chains are becoming a critical source of competitive advantage. New Maersk customer research reveals that businesses are prioritising faster delivery, greater visibility and integrated logistics to support growth amid increasing disruption. By investing in agility, digitalisation and end-to-end supply chain capabilities, organisations can strengthen resilience, improve customer experience and position themselves for sustainable long-term growth in an increasingly complex global trade environment.

For lifestyle brands, today's supply chain has become a critical source of competitive advantage. Across India, the Middle East and Africa, companies are expanding into new markets while navigating increasingly complex logistics environments, diversifying their sourcing strategies, broadening their product portfolios and accelerating their digital transformation initiatives. However, the environment where this growth is taking place has become significantly more complex.

Geopolitical uncertainty, changing trade patterns, climate-related disruptions, shifting consumer expectations and ongoing supply chain volatility are forcing business leaders to rethink traditional operating models. In this environment, resilience is much more than managing disruption. It is a critical driver of growth.

To understand how Lifestyle businesses across IMEA are preparing for growth, where they see the biggest supply chain risks, and which logistics capabilities will matter most over the coming years, Lifestyle customers were surveyed across the region. Results showed a clear shift in priorities, from managing logistics efficiently to building supply chains capable of supporting long-term growth.

The question facing many organisations is no longer whether they can grow. It is about building resilient, end-to-end supply chains capable of supporting sustainable growth.

The New growth agenda

The survey revealed that 54% of companies are planning to enter new markets, 49% are pursuing geographic expansion and 40% are investing in supply chain digitisation. These findings point to a sector firmly focused on growth.

At the same time, leading organisations globally are moving away from supply chains designed purely for efficiency and cost optimisation. According to the "Course for Change" study, the most resilient companies are investing more in agility, adaptability and collaboration to protect growth and minimise losses related to disruption. Those identified as resilience frontrunners reported significantly lower revenue losses from supply chain disruption than their peers.

These findings reflect broader logistics trends shaping the retail and fashion industry, where shorter product lifecycles, omnichannel fulfilment and rising customer expectations are redefining supply chain priorities.

Speed: the new currency of growth

When asked which logistics capabilities would be most critical to supporting future growth, nearly three-quarters of survey respondents selected faster delivery.

This is hardly surprising.

Lifestyle brands operate in one of the most dynamic business environments. Product lifecycles are shorter, consumer preferences change rapidly and demand patterns can shift overnight. The ability to move inventory quickly and reliably has become a strategic capability rather than an operational metric.

However, many organisations continue to face significant obstacles. Delivery delays and high logistics costs emerged as the two most common supply chain challenges among customers surveyed.

This gap between growth ambitions and operational reality presents a significant opportunity for organisations that can build faster and more responsive supply chains.

Visibility is becoming a strategic asset

Visibility has moved far beyond shipment tracking.

Nearly one-third of respondents identify the lack of visibility as a major challenge in the supply chain, while 44% believe that the demand for real-time visibility is not being met by current logistics providers.

Leading companies are recognising that improved visibility enables better decision-making, stronger risk management and faster responses to disruption.

The "Course for Change" research also found that resilience leaders are substantially more likely to invest in technologies that provide end-to-end supply chain visibility, predictive insights and network mapping capabilities. These organisations use data to anticipate risk before it impacts operations, not simply to monitor performance.

In an environment where disruption is becoming the norm rather than the exception, visibility is rapidly becoming a competitive advantage.

From fragmented services to connected supply chains

Historically, many organisations have managed transportation, customs clearance, warehousing and distribution through separate providers. However, the survey findings suggest that customer expectations are evolving.

Almost half of respondents consider bundled logistics solutions as a critical capability for future growth. Greater visibility, warehousing capabilities, cross-border logistics expertise and technology integration are also identified as key requirements. This reflects a broader shift across the industry.

Modern lifestyle supply chains are becoming more interconnected, requiring closer coordination between logistics providers, suppliers and internal business functions. Other Fashion and Lifestyle supply chain studies highlight that integrated supply chains improve responsiveness, simplify processes and enable businesses to react more effectively to changing market conditions.

The focus is increasingly shifting from managing individual logistics activities to orchestrating connected supply chain ecosystems.

Reliability matters more than ever

When selecting logistics partners, customers rank the following as the most important decision-making criteria:

1. Transit times
2. Reliability
3. Cost
4. Customer service
5. Flexibility

What is particularly notable is the emphasis on reliability.

In today's operating environment, predictability often delivers more value than pure speed. The ability to consistently meet commitments, maintain service levels and swiftly recover from disruption has become a powerful differentiator.

This aligns closely with the findings of global resilience frontrunners, where collaboration, visibility and technology investments are helping organisations to improve reliability while reducing the impact of disruption.

Looking ahead

The next generation of winning lifestyle brands will not necessarily be those with the largest footprint or the lowest logistics costs.

They will be the organisations that can respond quickly to change, enter new markets with confidence and maintain visibility across increasingly complex supply chains.

The future belongs to businesses that can combine growth ambitions with resilience.

In a world where disruption is becoming a permanent feature of global trade, competitive advantage will increasingly come from the ability to move faster, adapt sooner and recover more strongly.

Ultimately, growth is no longer just about reaching new markets. It is about building supply chains capable of supporting them.

Be ready for supply chain resilience to go all the way! Explore the Maersk Supply Chain Resilience Model, or for more logistics trends and insights visit Maersk Logistics Insights.