How Does Smart Logistics Influence Enterprise Innovation? Evidence from China

In the current external environment characterized by intensified supply chain uncertainties, promoting supply chain digitalization has become a critical pathway for enterprises to enhance their innovation capabilities. As a core component of digital supply chains, studying the role of smart logistics in enterprise innovation holds significant theoretical value and practical importance. Based on the government work reports of prefecture-level cities in China from 2013 to 2022, this study employs a keyword frequency statistics approach to construct a city-level indicator for the development level of smart logistics. It examines the effect of smart logistics on innovation in China’s A-share listed companies, along with its underlying mechanisms and heterogeneity. The empirical results show that smart logistics can significantly promote enterprise innovation capability. The mechanism analysis indicates that smart logistics drives enterprise innovation by leveraging the talent effect, the organizational slack optimization effect, and the data element multiplier effect. Further heterogeneity analysis reveals that the innovation-promoting effect of smart logistics is more significant for enterprises in industries with high competition intensity. Moreover, in enterprises with high information transparency, the promoting effect of smart logistics on innovation is more pronounced. The research conclusions provide theoretical support and policy implications for integrating smart logistics into regional innovation ecosystems and for designing differentiated policies.