Why Global Trade Still Relies on Manual Processes in 2025
In 2025, global trade is humming with advanced shipping lanes, digital ports, and AI-driven logistics platforms—but manual work still dominates many trade processes. From paper-based customs forms to email-based supplier coordination, legacy manual workflows continue to bottleneck international trade operations.
At TractUs, we witness the friction firsthand: trade corridors powered partly by outdated manual practices. In this post, we’ll explore why manual processes persist in global trade, supported by data and real-world examples.
1. Legacy Systems & Institutional Inertia 🏗️
Many legacy systems were built decades ago, and businesses have grown habituated to them. A Reddit user shared:
“Manual warehouse processes are indeed becoming increasingly unsustainable… they are loath to change it.”
In logistics:
- 49% of order fulfillment operations are still mostly or entirely manual .
- Despite automation growth, 26% of warehouse managers say they’re not looking to integrate new automation tech .
This inertia spans from systems built in the 1990s to bespoke tools with too much embedded organizational history to replace.
2. Manual Data Entry & Paper-Based Documentation
Despite digital advances, trade remains paper-intensive:
- ~30% of industrial supply chains still rely heavily on paper-based processes
- 29% of supply chain errors come from manual data entry.
Trade papers—bills of lading, customs forms—aren’t just paperwork; they’re compliance lifelines. Yet, they often require printing, physical signatures, and manual cross-checks, which drive up lead times and risk non-compliance.
3. Compliance Complexity & Risk Avoidance
Global trade paperwork transcends convenience—it’s a legal necessity. The OECD reports that trade transaction costs can be up to 15% of a product’s value, with much of that tied to paperwork, coordination, and delays .
To mitigate the risk of fines, delays, and blocked shipments, companies stick to familiar manual workflows—even when digitization could save time and money.
4. Partial Automation & Tech Fragmentation
Digitization has begun, but often in piecemeal form:
- 65% of supply chain leaders increased automation in 2023—but many efforts remain siloed
- Only 60% of professionals report cloud SCM adoption, and 68% cite system integration challenges
Trade operations may use an AI-driven forecasting tool, a semi-digital WMS, and still rely on email to coordinate shipments. Partial digital maturity can make full automation appear expensive or risky by comparison.
5. Cost & Change Management Barriers
Automation isn’t plug-and-play:
- RPA implementation costs are recovered gradually, and 37% of workers worry about job loss
- 85% of CFOs cite barriers to implementing automation; only 8% provide formal training
True digital transformation requires investment in tech, training, and change management—resources that lag behind desire in many mid-sized and emerging-market firms.
6. Geography & Infrastructure Disparities
Automation adoption isn’t uniform:
- North America & Asia Pacific lead while Latin America and parts of Africa lag behind .
- Without reliable internet, digital payments, or automated ports, many emerging economies remain tethered to manual trade flows.
Single-window systems—intended to simplify cross-border trade—are only about 61% implemented globally. For firms operating across those gaps, manual methods remain fallback defaults.
7. Cultural Resistance & Skill Gaps
Even tech-ready firms face human resistance:
- Only 75% of companies expect staff to optimize processes, but just 8% offer formal training.
- 40% of firms lack skilled talent to manage supply chain tech implementation.
Without training and buy-in, automation initiatives stall. Legacy communication habits—like WhatsApp threads or hallway meetings—persist as the path of least resistance.
8. Manual Exceptions & Edge Cases
Trade is messy: customs audits, inspections, financial disruptions, illicit goods—all exceptions to the rule. Automated systems struggle with scenarios outside designed flows.
Many companies view manual fallback as essential—faster in crisis, less liability. But this reliance on paper exceptions undermines scalability.
9. Lack of End-to-End Visibility
One statistic sums it up: 70% of supply chain professionals cite data visibility as their top challenge.
Without a unified, structured view—from supplier to customer—manual coordination persists. Informal updates and chat threads are still the glue holding complex trade workflows together.
The Cost of Inaction
This persistent manualness has measurable consequences:
- Supply chain disruptions cost businesses $800 billion to $1 trillion annually .
- Manual errors drive 29% of SCM mistakes, while disruptions shave up to 6.5% off company share prices.
- In global trade, delays—or incomplete documentation—can double risk of penalties or cargo holds, and add up to 15% cost burdens per transaction.
In short: manual processes cost time, money, reputation—and erode competitiveness.
Why TractUs Is the Answer
At TractUs, we believe digital trade transformation begins with communication: the human-to-machine bridge that enables structured, auditable, and frictionless operations.
We help by:
- Digitizing chat and email—structuring the unstructured
- Extracting orders, incoterms, compliance info seamlessly
- Auto-generating documentation and syncing with ERP/CRM systems
- Taming exceptions through AI workflows that can flag or structure edge cases
- Storing institutional knowledge in searchable form—no more wandering chat archives
ROI You Can Measure
Our beta clients report:
- 30–40% faster shipment cycle times from inquiry to delivery
- 25% fewer documentation errors in the first 90 days
- 50% fewer exceptions held at customs, due to traceable compliance
- Reduced training time: new hires accelerate in days, not weeks
Conclusion: Manual Today, Digital Tomorrow
Manual processes in global trade exist because of a perfect storm: legacy tools, risk aversion, infrastructure gaps, and human resistance.
But they’re no longer justifiable. With automation stretching into chat and paperwork—courtesy of tools like TractUs—trade teams can eliminate hidden costs, unlock efficiency, and ensure resilience in 2025 and beyond.
Ready to End Manual Dependencies?
👉 Schedule a demo with TractUs to see how seamless chat-based automation can speed trade, cut errors, and turn communication into your strongest competitive edge.