Beyond Fulfillment: How to generate new revenue streams in logistics

By Vaibhav Dabhade, CEO of Anchanto

For decades, businesses have accepted a fundamental assumption: the supply chain is a cost centre. The logic seems straightforward—the more you sell or fulfil orders, the more you pay for logistics, warehousing, and distribution. Traditional supply chain models reinforce this perception, as every new transaction adds complexity and cost.

However, this view is outdated.

The modern supply chain is no longer just a back-office function; it is a strategic asset capable of driving revenue and business growth. With the right approach, companies can transform their supply chains into engines of value creation, rather than just cost accumulation.

The key to this transformation lies in two strategic shifts:

1. Embracing an Omnichannel Supply Chain
   Businesses must evolve their supply chains beyond linear logistics to a fully integrated, omnichannel model. This means connecting online and offline channels, leveraging automation, and optimizing inventory across multiple fulfilment centres.
   
2. Turning the Supply Chain into an Information Powerhouse
   By harnessing data from every touchpoint, companies can unlock valuable business intelligence. This intelligence enhances decision-making, improves customer experiences, and even creates monetization opportunities, such as demand forecasting insights and supply chain analytics as a service.

1. Evolve – Think of Supply Chain as Omnichannel Supply Chain

The traditional supply chain was built for a single-channel world, where businesses either catered to B2B or B2C operations separately. But today’s reality demands a more dynamic, omnichannel approach—one that serves both B2B and B2C customers seamlessly, while driving efficiency, accuracy, and speed through automation.

1.1 Serve Both B2C and B2B Operations with Existing Assets and Automation

By optimizing existing infrastructure and automation, businesses can transform their supply chains into scalable revenue engines:

• Increased efficiency reduces fulfilment costs per order, enabling companies to take on higher order volumes without proportional cost increases—improving margins.
• Improved order accuracy leads to fewer returns and replacements, cutting losses while enhancing customer loyalty and repeat purchases.
• Accelerated fulfilment allows businesses to introduce premium, same-day, or express delivery options that customers are willing to pay extra for.
• Meeting diverse customer needs effectively enables businesses to expand into new customer segments, such as corporate bulk orders (B2B) and direct-to-consumer sales (B2C), maximizing sales potential.

1.2 Streamline Order Processing and Inventory Management for Omnichannel Retail

A fragmented supply chain leads to inefficiencies and lost sales due to stockouts or fulfilment delays. By integrating supply chain operations with:

• Online sales channels (e-commerce, marketplaces, social commerce), businesses can capture digital-first customers and increase direct sales.
• WMS, OMS and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) , companies gain real-time inventory visibility, reducing markdowns and lost revenue from overstocking or understocking.
• Offline retail stores or dark stores as micro-fulfilment centres, retailers can unlock new income streams through ship-from-store, in-store pickups, and localized deliveries—reducing logistics costs and increasing conversion rates.

1.3 Connect the Buyer Journey’s Steps to Revenue Opportunities

A well-integrated supply chain doesn’t just move products—it actively contributes to revenue growth at every stage of the customer journey:

• Order Placement: Instant order processing through social commerce, marketplaces, and direct sales channels reduces cart abandonment and increases conversion rates. Providing estimated delivery dates improves customer confidence, leading to more completed purchases.
• Inventory Management: Converting every location into a fulfilment centre (including stores and warehouses) reduces holding costs and enables businesses to fulfil orders faster, allowing them to charge premium pricing for faster delivery.
• Order Orchestration: Leveraging dark stores and store pickup options not only reduces last-mile delivery costs but also increases in-store foot traffic, leading to additional in-store purchases.
• Delivery Transparency: By offering real-time tracking and green shipping options, companies can introduce premium eco-friendly delivery choices—a growing customer preference that they are willing to pay extra for.
• Returns Management: Making returns convenient through return-to-store models enhances customer retention and opens opportunities for in-store exchanges or upselling.
• Upselling & Cross-Selling: With AI-driven analytics on shopping behaviour, businesses can offer personalized product recommendations at checkout, increasing the average order value and long-term customer lifetime value.

Each of these touchpoints presents a direct opportunity to increase revenue, either by enhancing the customer experience to drive more sales or by introducing new chargeable services.

2. Turn the Supply chain into a valuable Information Center to support growth

Beyond logistics, the supply chain holds a wealth of data. By transforming supply chains into data-driven intelligence hubs, businesses can assess performance, optimize operations, and create new revenue streams through smarter decision-making and actionable insights.

2.1 Carrier and Parcel Tracking Data

Supply chains generate vast amounts of data from shipping and carrier operations. By analysing carrier and parcel tracking data, businesses can not only improve logistics but also optimize their own operations for cost savings.

• Carrier performance data helps identify the most efficient shipping partners, reducing delays and allowing businesses to charge for premium shipping services.
• LA Compliance (Last-Mile Accuracy Compliance) ensures deliveries align with promised timeframes, enabling dynamic pricing models for faster delivery options.
• Delivery efficiency insights reduce logistics costs, making it possible to introduce subscription-based delivery services for frequent buyers.
• Geographic consumption preferences reveal where demand is strongest, allowing brands to expand into high-growth markets.
• Geographic product awareness data helps retailers and manufacturers optimize regional marketing strategies and boost local sales.
• Machine learning for delivery predictability improves estimated delivery times, creating value-added services such as guaranteed same-day delivery at a premium price.

2.2 Inventory and Product Master

Inventory is more than just a supply-side concern—it is a rich source of business intelligence that can drive revenue by optimizing product availability, pricing strategies, and stock efficiency.

• Assortment performance data helps retailers determine which products to promote or phase out, maximizing profitability.
• Bestselling and underselling product insights enable dynamic pricing strategies, allowing businesses to charge premium prices for in-demand items while strategically discounting slow movers.
• Cost of inventory analytics helps minimize capital tied up in unsold stock, freeing resources for higher-margin opportunities.
• Inventory aging data supports just-in-time (JIT) inventory models, reducing waste and increasing turnover rates.

2.3 Labour Data – Enhancing Workforce Efficiency for Cost Savings

Workforce optimization is a critical factor in reducing operational costs and increasing fulfilment capacity—both of which directly impact revenue potential.

• Workforce performance tracking allows businesses to identify top performers, rewarding efficiency and reducing labour costs by optimizing shift schedules.
• Picking route optimization within warehouses reduces order fulfilment time, enabling businesses to charge for premium express fulfilment.
• Warehouse layout design insights improve space utilization, lowering storage costs and allowing businesses to scale fulfilment capabilities for peak demand.
• Workforce planning ensures the right number of staff is deployed at the right time, minimizing downtime and boosting order throughput.
• Error minimization and quality control improvements lead to fewer returns and higher customer satisfaction, increasing repeat purchases and reducing lost revenue from damaged goods.

2.4 – Customer Data – Leveraging Consumer Insights for Higher Revenue

A data-rich supply chain is a sales and marketing goldmine, offering deep insights into consumer behaviour that can be monetized through targeted sales strategies.

• Customer location data enables hyperlocal promotions, allowing businesses to charge for location-based advertising or offer exclusive deals to nearby customers.
• Channel performance insights help identify which sales channels yield the highest ROI, enabling dynamic investment allocation to maximize revenue.
• Promotion performance analytics provide real-time feedback on marketing campaigns, allowing businesses to optimize discounts and product bundling strategies for maximum profitability.

Conclusion

The supply chain is no longer merely a transactional necessity—it is the strategic core of sustainable business growth. By shifting from a traditional, cost-centric mindset to an omnichannel and data-driven approach, businesses can uncover untapped opportunities to generate significant revenue streams and achieve operational excellence.

Implementing integrated technologies and intelligent analytics across your supply chain ecosystem enables seamless omnichannel fulfilment, real-time inventory optimization, precise order orchestration, and enhanced customer experiences. Robust data analytics convert operational insights into actionable strategies, enabling informed decision-making, new monetization opportunities, and competitive advantage.

To realize these benefits, companies should adopt advanced supply chain solutions such as:

• Smart Order Routing
• Integrated Omnichannel Fulfilment
• Strategic Channel Inventory Allocation
• Automated Inventory Storage and Rotation
• Efficient Order Splitting and Consolidation
• Optimized Storage Utilization
• Picking and Packing Automation
• Advanced Handheld Devices
• Intelligent Carrier Selection
• Enhanced Tracking and Transparency (WISMO/WISMR Reduction)
• Predictive Customer Support
• Branded Customer Experiences
• Strict Carrier SLA Compliance

Crucially, interconnected systems should bridge Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), Network Operations (Parcel Tracking), Order Management Systems (OMS), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms.

This integrated approach enhances efficiency, responsiveness, and profitability, positioning the supply chain as an adaptable and strategic growth driver.

Success in this space requires more than just adopting new technologies—it demands a shift in mindset. Businesses must see logistics as a value driver, not just a support function. With integrated systems, intelligent automation, and a strategic approach to data, organizations can build supply chains that don’t just fulfil orders but actively fuel revenue, innovation, and long-term success.

Now is the time to move beyond traditional fulfilment. The companies that embrace this evolution will not only optimize costs but will also create entirely new avenues for growth—ensuring they stay ahead of the competition in an ever-evolving digital commerce landscape.