Artificial intelligence has become foundational to omnichannel supply chain operations, according to new research from the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (MIT CTL). The 2026 State of Supply Chain Omnichannel Report reveals that companies are embedding AI across fulfillment, inventory management, and customer experience to manage rising complexity, deliver faster services, and maintain profitability as e-commerce scales globally.
The research was conducted by the MIT Omnichannel Supply Chain Lab, directed by Dr. Eva Ponce with research support from Laura Allegue.
Omnichannel Growth Demands AI Integration
The omnichannel report finds that 81% of organizations are experiencing ongoing e-commerce growth, with 60% now implementing full omnichannel distribution strategies—a 10-percentage-point increase year-over-year. However, this expansion comes with mounting operational pressures.
"Customer are asking for faster deliveries, but not only faster deliveries, more reliable deliveries," said Dr. Ponce in a recent episode of the MIT Supply Chain Frontiers podcast. "This, from the operational side, requires much more precision."
The challenge is multifaceted: companies must manage more SKUs and fragmented orders across multiple fulfillment channels, maintain real-time inventory visibility, handle rising return rates (up to 40% in sectors like fashion), and allocate inventory dynamically across online and offline channels. These pressures have made AI adoption a strategic imperative rather than an optional capability. (....)