The report also found that global transportation costs have fallen below their long-term average thanks to lessening pressures on shipping, rail, air and road freight. 

The last two years presented a whirlwind of new challenges for retail, requiring businesses to explore sometimes experimental ways to cope with rapid change. 

Manufacturers and distributors can no longer afford to view the supply chain as a strictly internal function that stands apart from customers.

Major grocery retailers serving dense urban areas such as New York, London and Paris are under increasing pressure to get product to consumers in the shortest possible time, as little as 15 minutes, and often for free. But there are downsides to the trend.