Vocabulary Practice: Logistics

Read the text again and answer the questions with some of the words in bold.

Thanks to the widespread use of the Internet and mobile devices shopping has never been easier. As the number of cross-border transactions soars, merchants must bend over backwards to keep up with demand. Timely deliveries are ever as important. To become an established player in the European market, you need to team up with a good logistics company that will deliver your products on the dot.

Depending on the profile of your business and the type of products you sell, a logistics company may help you organize the following aspects of your operation:

– warehousing

– air and ocean freight forwarding

– customs brokerage

– transportation management

– order fulfillment

– returned goods management

– supply chain consulting

– residential and commercial delivery

– distribution

– product packaging

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals defines logistics as “the process of planning, implementing, and controlling procedures for the efficient and effective transportation and storage of goods including services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements. This definition includes inbound, outbound, internal, and external movements”. Logistics is therefore at the core of every e-commerce business which manages the procurement, warehousing, maintenance, transport, and distribution of goods. The rapid development of online shopping heralds a new era for e-commerce businesses and the logistics sector. To thrive both must conform to the changing shopping habits of consumers in Europe.