Afternoon Coffee: Keelvar adds air freight sourcing bot; US consumer spending falls; PRO recap: AP automation, SourcingCockpit, M&A integration, CW/S Hot List

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Keelvar, a sourcing automation provider, launched a new air freight sourcing automation solution powered by artificial intelligence. The bot is meant to solve the complexities and capacity challenges with air freight logistics.

Developed with a no-code solution, the bot can work alongside procurement teams by setting up and launching sourcing events within minutes. In a press release announcing the launch, the company said several customers had deployed the bot and have run nearly 100 air freight sourcing events over the past few months. This latest bot is the second in Keelvar’s Logistics Botline, joining one for ocean freight.

“The air freight market has been disrupted to its core. Capacity is down, demand is up and change is constant,” Alan Holland, Founder and CEO of Keelvar, said in the press release. “Our new sourcing bot enables buyers to overcome this complexity by reacting more intelligently and with greater speed — two traits that are critical to supply chain resilience and performance.”

US consumers slow spending 0.2% in December

The Commerce Department reported on Friday that US consumers slowed their spending by 0.2% in December, cutting back their spending for a second straight month, according to the Associated Press.

It’s another worrisome sign of an economy struggling under the weight of the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, sales at retailers have declined for three straight months, the article said.

Friday’s report also showed that personal incomes, which provide a fuel for spending, rose 0.6% after two months of declines. However, the report indicates that Americans who have kept their jobs have been stockpiling savings rather than spending. But the article said that could be a good sign for later this year once consumers feel more willing and able to spend their money.

Spend Matters' analysts look at AP Automation, SourcingCockpit (from With), M&A technology integration and the CW/S space

This week, Spend Matters PRO analyst Xavier Olivera provided a look into some of the key vendors in the accounts payables automation space. Analyst Nick Heinzmann provided a Vendor Analysis of SourcingCockpit, a provider of a contract management solution. Two analysts, Jason Busch and Michael Lamoureux, analyzed the five levels of M&A technology integration with insights on Stage 3, data model integration. Finally, analyst Andrew Karpie gave us his Hot List of the contingent workforce/services space — the hot news that happened in January.

Our PRO subscribers can read the full articles, but all readers can see the lengthy intros that frame the issues being discussed. This week:

• Accounts Payables Automation update (Part 3) — Providers in the market and SolutionMap insights
• SourcingCockpit (from With): Vendor Analysis — Solution overview for vendor and contract management, roadmap, SourcingCockpit competitors, analyst insights
• The 5 Levels of M&A Technology Integration: Stage 3
• The Contingent Workforce and Services (CW/S) Insiders’ Hot List: January 2021

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