This response surpassed other ranked technology priorities, including the need to pursue strategies in big data, cloud networking and mobile devices, which were cited as the second, third and fourth priorities, respectively.

The INTTRA Technology Outlook Survey also revealed the challenges faced by shipping industry professionals in optimizing their supply chain. According to respondents, the top challenge is "lack of standardization, hindering automation," demonstrating continued concerns about not having a common format for reducing data complexity. The second ranked challenge was "technology barriers to visibility, which slow down access to real-time data."

"With these survey results, we're seeing that the pursuit of quality data is top of mind for today's logistics and shipping industry professionals as they embark on delivering improved supply chain visibility," said Sandra Moran, INTTRA chief marketing officer. "By recognizing this and other priorities identified in the survey, the shipping industry's evolution can be accelerated through a focus on the top challenges and the adoption of new technologies."

Other findings uncovered:

--  Need for Speed: When it comes to technology adoption (such as automation, mobility and the cloud), 77 percent of respondents said that the ocean shipping industry was playing catch-up, falling behind or making little to no progress.

--  Increasing Urgency: However, when describing the urgency for their company to invest in new technologies to compete in 2015, nearly half (47 percent) said the need was "very urgent". According to Moran, this signals industry recognition of the urgency to advance technology investments, potentially accelerating technology adoption in the new year.

--  Going Mobile: 71 percent of respondents stated they are comfortable initiating and managing shipments from a mobile device or tablet, pointing towards more shipping industry professionals managing while on-the-go. Those who were not comfortable cited "lack of functionality" and "security concerns" amongst the reasons for reluctance.

Source: INTTRA