Blue Yonder: The top supply chain strategic priority is…
A new survey reveals where supply chain executives are focusing their attention in 2026.
Improving efficiency and productivity is the number one supply chain strategic priority for 2026, selected by 35% of supply chain executives. The second annual "Supply Chain Compass" study from supply chain management company Blue Yonder reveals that by faster, better decision-making moved up significantly from 2025 to claim the second supply chain strategic priority spot after only ranking seventh in the previous year’s report.
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The study also reveals a decline in optimism among the nearly 700 supply chain professionals that were surveyed across North America and Europe. Fewer respondents believe they are ready for the future now (66%) than last year (73%).
While respondents generally felt equipped to handle technological threats or operational issues, they are slowest to be able to effectively respond to geopolitical disruptions. Only 20% said they can develop and deploy a response within 24 hours. Another 38% take longer than a week to develop and deploy a response to geopolitical disruptions.
Technology trends
The study examined how respondents are using technology in their supply chains:
- Unified data platforms are the most widely adopted new technology, deployed by 51% of respondents.
- AI adoption is widening as 45% of respondents are using machine learning and predictive AI today and 24% are using generative AI (double from 2025), although only 8% are using agentic AI.
- Among all respondents, unified data platforms were identified as the most utilized technology today.
Optimism varies
The 2026 report finds that optimism impacts important business goals. The 46% of respondents who identify as "highly optimistic" have confidence in their approaches to building resilience, managing supply chains and establishing priorities. Notably, the less optimistic group is nearly twice as likely to state they need a new approach (43% vs. 23%) than the highly optimistic group.
Respondents who identify as optimists are also more likely to dedicate a technology investment budget, and those budgets are likely to be larger. Optimists are also more likely to have implemented unified data platforms.
"Supply chain leaders are being asked to make more decisions, more frequently and with less time available," said Duncan Angove, CEO, Blue Yonder. "In supply chain management, confidence is not simply a mindset. It is built on end-to-end visibility, unified data and practical AI that allows teams to make good decisions quickly and at scale. Blue Yonder enables companies to link together planning, sourcing and execution functions so they can reduce decision fatigue, rapidly respond to disruptions and manage the business with more control."
In autumn 2025, Blue Yonder partnered with B2B International, an independent market research agency owned by Dentsu, to conduct the Supply Chain Compass research. Blue Yonder surveyed 678 senior supply chain professionals at companies with more than $500 million in annual revenue, representing retail, manufacturing and logistics industries across North America and Europe.
