New Impinj Research Reveals Top Headaches for Supply Chain Managers for 2025

Impinj, Inc. announced findings from its new Supply Chain Integrity Outlook 2025 research report. Based on a survey of 1,000 US supply chain managers, the report reveals a data accuracy gap that leaves many struggling to find the level of insights, visibility, and accuracy required to drive confidence in their supply chain and respond quickly to market changes.

While the majority (91%) of supply chain managers believe they are equipped to drive accurate supply chain visibility, the reality is that only a third (33%) consistently obtain accurate, real-time inventory data.

The report’s findings show how the supply chain data accuracy gap hinders supply chain managers’ ability to address key challenges, including counterfeit goods, shrink and theft, misload and delivery errors, meeting sustainability requirements, and effectively implementing AI within their organization’s supply chain.

The report also reveals over half (52%) of supply chain managers face challenges responding to rapid peaks in customer demand driven by social media- and influencer-driven trends. Nearly half (47%) of supply chain managers also report that changes in customer demand due to growth in social media storefronts (49%) and the rise of the thrift movement (47%) are among the top challenges for their organization’s supply chain.

The report highlights the most significant supply chain integrity challenges and priorities for supply chain leaders within various sectors, including:
• Counterfeit goods in retail: 65% of supply chain managers agree it’s a challenge for their organization to reduce the amount of counterfeit goods entering the supply chain. Almost all (98%) retail supply managers are taking measures to combat counterfeiting. Implementing new technologies for authentication of goods in transit (44%), for general goods verification (42%), and introducing more authentication checkpoints throughout the supply chain (40%) are the key actions retailers are taking to combat counterfeiting.
• Shrink and theft in retail: 60% of retail supply chain managers surveyed also agree that reducing rates of shrink and theft is a challenge for their organization, with an overwhelming majority (99%) investing in measures to mitigate these concerns. Increasing security checkpoints during transit and delivery (48%) and implementing new technologies for tracking goods (41%) are the top measures retailers are taking to minimize the impact of shrink and theft.
• Shrink in the food, grocery, and restaurant sector: The issue of shrink becomes even more pronounced within the food, grocery, and restaurant sector where 82% of supply chain managers report challenges reducing shrink. Shoplifting (45%), food spoilage (37%), and food waste (35%) are the top causes of shrink reported by supply chain managers in the food industry. Implementing new technologies for shopfloor surveillance (45%), tracking goods (44%), and reducing food waste (44%) are key measures organizations in food, grocery, and restaurants are taking to decrease shrink.
• Reducing misloads and delivery errors in transportation and logistics: Almost three quarters (74%) of surveyed supply chain managers within transportation and logistics firms are concerned about growing volumes of Load Planning Problems (LPPs), misloads, and delivery errors impacting their organization. Survey respondents revealed that the largest volume of errors is most likely to occur as a result of delivery and last-mile misloads (24%) and label inaccuracies (22%). Almost half (48%) of transportation and logistics firms plan to invest in improving shipment accuracy and reducing delivery errors as a critical part of their sustainability efforts.

The barriers supply chain leaders face in achieving real-time inventory insights, visibility, and accuracy are also impacting their ability to effectively implement AI within the supply chain. Effective AI strategies are built on accurate data, yet the report reveals that data accuracy is the top challenge supply chain managers face (43%) in effectively implementing AI to improve their organization’s supply chain, alongside data availability (39%) and access to real-time data (36%). Overcoming these challenges will be essential for unlocking the full potential of AI across supply chain networks.

“Supply chain managers continue to face data blind spots that prevent them from ensuring secure, reliable, and adaptable supply chains,” said Jeff Dossett, Impinj chief revenue officer. “It’s essential that organizations address the data accuracy gap by putting technology in place to surface accurate data that fuels the real-time, actionable insights and visibility needed to ensure supply chain resilience.”

The pressure to reduce the environmental impact of their operations continues to be one of the biggest challenges faced by supply chain managers. Over a quarter (27%) report continued issues reducing the environmental impact of their organization’s supply chain, and 25% cite challenges in meeting more stringent ESG regulations, such as the European Union’s Digital Product Passport (DPP) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Across sectors, supply chain managers report the top ways their organizations are implementing strategies to improve sustainability include improving the measurement of their sustainability efforts (52%), improving last-mile delivery efficiency (44%), reducing waste (41%), and implementing recycling initiatives (40%).