Customers Call the Shots Online

May 3, 2000 9:20 AM, EDT

NAPLES, Fla. — United Parcel Service and ABF Freight System have little in common operationally.

	United Parcel Service
	Thomas H. Weidemeyer

UPS delivers small packages, whereas ABF hauls mostly palletized freight. However, the two companies agree that electronic commerce — the sale of goods and services over the Internet — is going to fundamentally change the way they do business.

The Internet has given customers the ability to dictate terms, conditions and, increasingly, prices for just about any product. This is forcing manufacturers and retailers to revamp distribution strategies and cut costs, Thomas H. Weidemeyer, senior vice president of transportation operations for UPS, said in a keynote address at the National Small Shipments Traffic Conference’s spring meeting.

“The future of our business, and indeed the future of commerce itself, is tied to what we like to call the three T’s: time, transparency and trust,” he explained. “Customers have never been more empowered than today.”

For the full story, see the May 1 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.