Logistics leaders say AI investments are working, but they want faster ROI timelines from vendors

AI investments are starting to pay off for transportation and logistics companies, but now they want to see faster returns on them, according to a survey from Sparq.

The AI-native digital engineering services firm surveyed 313 decision-makers and key influencers in the logistics industry and found that while 90% of respondents said AI investments exceeded expectations, 62% require “faster ROI timelines from vendors,” per the survey.

“Buyers are seeking more from their growing investments and expecting their vendors to step up,” Scott Monnig, chief client officer at Sparq, told Retail Brew.

A microcosm of this trend, Monnig added, was evident in how companies are thinking about demand forecasting tools. While 61% reported implementing this technology–and 92% reported that their organizations were fully or mostly prepared for the 2026 holiday peak shipping season—53% identified demand forecasting accuracy as one of the areas where they feel least prepared.

“That is indicative that confidence is high, but I would say there are opportunities to tie that back to specific data-driven measures that prove that confidence out,” Monnig said.

Why the pressure to show results now? Monnig said 2025 was about proof of concept, while 2026 was about proof of value. And now, 2027 is “going to be the next iteration of that, which is faster ROI and proof.”

A similar phenomenon appears to be playing out among retailers. A Deloitte report from earlier this year found that 75% of retail and CPG leaders called AI a top strategic priority, but only 16.5% could quantify ROI.“There’s so much scrutiny around AI investments in particular that it’s just super important to have provable, measurable, traceable results from the investment,” Monnig said.