Month: April 2018

Carrier Giants DHL and FEDEX Incorporating Blockchain

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Following on from this post about blockchain, we’re taking a brief look at how two of our biggest carriers, Fedex and DHL are limbering up to the emerging new technology that has everyone so excited.

The first thing to make note of is the existence of Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), of which Fedex is a founding member and to which many other major carriers have signed up including DHL, and UPS. The purpose of BiTA, to quote from their website, is to:

“create a forum for the development of blockchain standards and education for the freight industry…”

Now, how have DHL and Fedex incorporated blockchain tech? In brief:

DHL

DHL recently announced that it had created a blockchain-based prototype in partnership with Accenture to track pharmaceuticals across a supply chain.

“The ledger tracking these medicines may be shared with stakeholders, including manufacturers, warehouses, distributors, pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors. Lab-simulations show how blockchain could handle more than seven billion unique serial numbers and 1,500 transactions per second.”

Given that 1 million lives are lost each year as a result of counterfeit medications, the positive impact this massively increased level of traceability can have due to the transparent and tamper-proof nature of the blockchain can’t be underestimated.

FEDEX

Fedex is working with BiTA to create uniform logistics standards for blockchain applications across the industry and has already set in motion blockchain pilots dealing specifically with dispute resolution. Vice-president of strategic planning and analysis Dale Chrystie said: “We have millions of records a day in our system, and we think of blockchain as a secure chain of custody that could transform the logistics industry. We believe it holds a lot of promise in that space and would streamline all that data exchange in a very secure way.”

From these examples amongst our carriers, it’s clear the blockchain wheel is in motion and so far, with positive outcomes predicted right across the supply chain.

SmartConsign is the first true cloud SaaS parcel delivery solution used by over 300 companies throughout the UK – offering access to 25+ top carriers including Fedex and DHL. Carriers do not pay a fee to be integrated onto the system, providing users with unbiased access to performance data that users can compare and contrast at any time. To learn more get in touch email sales@cloudstuff.co.uk

Three Ways Parcel Delivery Software Brings Value Beyond the Warehouse

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Delivery management is not just about the movement of goods through the supply chain to the end-customer. It’s about trust. The customer trusts that the business will ship goods that arrive when promised and with the utmost care. This aspect of the parcel delivery process is an integral part of your brand. At the same time, the complexity of the supply chain cannot be underestimated; it’s a process that involves many different stakeholders. For this reason, managers who are not in the logistics department may overlook the holistic benefits of smart delivery management software. Here are three ways smart parcel delivery software like SmartConsign can deliver value beyond the warehouse:

Take Advantage of Shipping Data To Improve Your Marketing
Parcel delivery software that can store your shipping data for up to 10 years provides rich information that you can use to identify trends and patterns in your delivery strategy.  Mine the data and see what insights you uncover. For example, if you find that you’ve exceeded your delivery promise, you can use this for marketing purposes. It’s just one of many ways to keep your brand top of mind and encourage repeat purchases.

Get Your AOV Right
Whether you’re in the warehouse or on the product team, keeping a close eye on shipping costs is vital to your ROI. However, not many brand managers attribute returns to their AOV (average order value). With returns in some sectors averaging at a rate of 40%, it makes sense to account for the flow from outbound and inbound shipping holistically. Getting your AOV right is fundamental to improving your ROI.

Furthermore, the shipping software solutions that are powering the success of growing enterprises are constantly innovating their offerings to meet today’s parcel delivery challenges. From rapid consignment generation to label creation, these smart shipping solutions understand the commercial needs of today’s retailers.

 

Drive Repeat Purchases
A repeat customer is more valuable than a new one, so getting the right processes in place to manage the inbound aspects of your parcel delivery strategy is crucial to the reputation of your brand. A recent study in the US reveals that 75% of consumers prefer to return online purchases to the retail store. Depending on your business, this can place huge pressures on your in-store resources and potentially delay the return of the item back into the supply chain. SmartConsign helps to make this process easier. The software return management system allows the customer to login, print off the label and return the item to the retailer effortlessly.

With so many features and data at your disposal–from carrier performance to address lookup to Disaster Recovery Plans and to Same Day Booking Portals–even the hardened logistics professional cannot fail to be impressed by the infinite possibilities a modern shipping management software can bring. Unlike legacy systems, SaaS parcel delivery software solutions are easy to implement and require no hardware; the majority of enterprises who sign up are operational within 24 hours.

Get in touch today to request a demo and learn how SmartConsign carrier management software can help enhance your overall brand performance and add clarity to your parcel delivery process.