Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo 2025 Orlando: Day 2 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo, taking place this week in Orlando, Florida. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. You can read the highlights from Day 1 here.

On Day 2 from the conference, we are highlighting sessions on CEO concerns and implications for CSCOs, logistics talent and Gen Z consumers. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

• Gartner Identifies Three Strategies for Chief Supply Chain Officers to Deliver Value Amid Heightened Uncertainty and Divergent Outcomes
  
• Complex Supply Chains Need Decision Shapers

Presented by Thomas O’Connor, VP and Chief of Research, Gartner

Growth remains the top priority for CEOs in 2025 in an environment full of trade and geopolitical risks. In this session, Thomas O’Connor, Managing VP and Chief of Research at Gartner, shared the key CEO priority shifts that CSCOs should anticipate next, and what they can do to enable supply chain driven business success.

• “Growth remains the top priority of CEOs, with technology gaining as a priority, and cost management declining compared to last year.” 

• “Geographic expansion is a top growth priority for CEOs, driven by the need to diversify risks in a volatile and uncertain environment.” 

• “An overwhelming majority of CEOs (74%) think AI will have the most significant impact on their businesses over the next three years.”

• “Two-thirds of CEOs say their operating model is not fit for an AI world.”

• “56% of CEOs say they will use AI to de-layer middle management within 5 years.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Justin Lavelle at justin.lavelle@gartner.com.

Presented by Carly West, VP Research, Gartner  

According to Gartner data, the top challenge for successfully pursuing digital supply chain initiatives is talent. In this session, Carly West, VP Research at Gartner, outlined the competencies, key roles, and development strategies for logistics teams to thrive in a digital world.

• “When asked for the greatest challenge to creating a digital logistics future, 37% of leaders named a lack of sufficient talent and expertise to implement digital technologies.”

• “Digital dexterity, a core logistics competency, was lacking in more than half of logistics teams.” 

• “Increasing digitalization and increasing automation were among the top three priorities for logistics leaders over the next five years.” 

• “Many logistics leaders' current, near term, recruitment focus on supply chain experience is out of step with the digital skills needed for future roles.”

• “Experiential learning is the most critical element of upskilling logistics employees and should be emphasized more than formal training.” 

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Justin Lavelle at justin.lavelle@gartner.com.

Presented by Tess Frenzel, Senior Principal Analyst, Gartner  

Gen Z is an economic powerhouse with unique consumer preferences that have the potential to reshape supply chains. In this session, Tess Frenzel, Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner, highlighted a roadmap for supply chain leaders to adapt their strategies to better serve Gen Z’s distinct consumer preferences. 

• “Gen Z consumers are characterized by their active nature (easy to gain and lose), high digital expectations and responsiveness to viral online trends.”

• “A supply chain roadmap that serves Gen Z must have a product strategy that can cope with fickle demand, solid digital issue resolution, and a plan to manage volatile buying behaviors.” 

• “Gen Z consumers are less loyal to brands than in previous generations and 56% report loyalty to specific products, rather than brands.” 

• “Gen Z reports less digital dexterity than millennials; despite being known as digital natives, Gen Z consumers report greater difficulty in navigating websites and are more likely to abandon their issue if they cannot resolve it online.”

• “A focus on Customer Effort Score can align with Gen Z consumers’ expectations for seamless self-service.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Justin Lavelle at justin.lavelle@gartner.com.