‘MSMEs fear high upfront investment without immediate ROI’

Amit Maheshwari, Founder and CEO at Softlink Global asserted, “Despite the growing buzz around AI, IoT and blockchain, the logistics sector—especially MSMEs—remains cautious in embracing these technologies. The biggest barrier is not just cost, but perceived cost. MSMEs fear high upfront investment without immediate ROI, often overlooking long-term gains like process efficiency, visibility, or data-driven decision-making. The fragmented nature of the industry and legacy mindset further slow adoption. Many still use disconnected systems for operations, billing, and compliance—leading to revenue leakage and inefficiencies. There’s also a notable knowledge and skill gap. Owners and mid-level managers often lack exposure to emerging tech, and there’s a shortage of trained talent to implement and manage these solutions. As a result, technology is seen as a disruption rather than an enabler. What’s needed is not just affordable, scalable platforms, but also ecosystem-driven handholding—demos, training, and real-world success stories—to make MSMEs confident that embracing technology won’t break their business, but build it.”