Adapting the fruit supply chain for e-commerce

In many countries, but especially in China, there has been a rapid increase in on-line grocery shopping, with delivery direct to the customerRSQUOs home (e-tailing). Fresh fruit feature prominently in on-line grocery advertising, but fruit has special challenges that set them apart from most grocery products: they should be delivered in an optimum ready-to-eat state rather than simply in a minimum time; and there can be much variation in taste and texture between individual pieces. These challenges exist for conventional fruit trading, but are particularly important for e-tailing because it removes the customerRSQUOs traditional role in selecting their own fruit, and thus the blame for any disappointment will be wholly on the e-tailer. As e-tailers put considerable value on the trustworthiness of their brand, this will generate a new demand for technology that will require the fruit supply chain to improve the predictability and safety of its products. In the near future we can expect to see the demands of business-to-consumer e-commerce driving a transformation in the global fruit trade into an information-intensive industry, leading to the implementation of many new sensor systems. Technology companies entering the fruit industry and creating vertically integrated operations from orchard to retail will bring an enthusiasm for new technology, the resources to develop it and the means to extract value from it. Orchard and fruit monitoring, predictive data mining and postharvest condition management will become increasingly common throughout the fruit supply chain.