Since the introduction of technology milestones like the cloud, the way data is handled and transported has changed dramatically. Additionally, the sheer saturation of information changes how any business can handle productivity, identifying entirely new factors that weren’t always available to them before. How logistics are analyzed is critical to the operation of a company but with shifts in big data, businesses have more potential to work with than ever.

For instance, shipping of goods can now have a host of new data behind it via tracking. Rather than filing physical reports, carriers can upload real time data about the speed in which products were delivered, at what times and on which dates. If there were holdups or delays, more data can be gathered to understand what caused the slowdown, allowing perhaps for re-routing and ultimately creating more efficient deliveries.

Consumer information will be identified differently in the coming year too. It’s now possible to go far beyond things like customer purchase history. Product lists, items purchased, times when bought and more are just a handful of informational tidbits that create a bigger picture about the individual. This type of information can be utilized to create effective marketing campaigns or special times to better sell a product to the individual, a sort of customized approach which greatly increases the chances of a sale.

Further, cloud computing will shape the nature of logistics for 2016. Not only does cloud computing offer a shift in how data is managed (internally within a company or via third party client), it also allows information to be observed in real time. Planning for certain situations can be done in sync with 1 to 1 monitoring of data changes, like the sales of a certain product or frequency of customer call-ins. This means adaptation to new situations is far simpler than before, and companies can address changes as they happen.

Better yet, all this data influx is universally accessible by team members. No longer are businesses limited to office congregations in order to feel out solutions or alternate ideas based on acquired data. New found information can be shared anywhere at any time. That means a company’s productivity is constant, able to organize and refine new information on the go, versus dealing with hang ups because a staff member may be off-site.

These are only a handful of changes that huge data packets and cloud computing will bring, especially for this year. Businesses are going to find there’s yet more potential and even more information, perhaps the most they’ve had to organize in their entire company lifespan. Numerous tools and options to form this data into something cohesive will ultimately lead to a more efficient, functional business.