Need of freight

• In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, 500-backed Cargobase, the logistics-tech and SaaS company bridging shippers and providers with customizable analytics and data, has grown in substantial numbers across transaction volume and revenue.
• The Singapore-based company said transactions on its platform have grown 240% and revenue has risen 273% from a year earlier — by far the highest on record since incepting seven years ago, according to the company.
• The ongoing health crisis is uncovering vulnerabilities in global supply chains. Many shippers are scrambling to address disruptions from factory closures to lane disruptions to supply/demand spikes.

• Cargobase solves these pressing issues with rich analytics to maintain visibility on cost and performance, and automating manual processes to fulfill the shifting global shipping demands.
• Siemens, Continental Automotive, and Bosch, are some of the Fortune 500 clients Cargobase has.
• “The main reason for this surge is that shippers (e.g. manufacturers, etc.) either can’t get or can’t rely on agreed long-term rates anymore due to the changes in capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased rates and transit times,” said Wiebe Helder, CEO & Founder of Cargobase.
• To help shippers access real-time information and work on-the-go, Cargobase has launched Cargobase On The Go!. The company is also looking for fresh talent to expedite freight processes in this new normal.

A first

• 500-backed Easyship has joined the Shopify Plus Technology Partner Program, becoming the first Asian shipping app to qualify as a partner.
• The initiative, first launched in 2016, is a directory of hand-selected technologies and services that have been vetted by the platform itself.
• Partners are proven to have expert e-commerce and platform experience, so they can be trusted by any Shopify Plus merchant.

• “It’s humbling to have been chosen as one of the leading shipping partners for the Shopify Plus ecosystem. We built Easyship to enable merchants of all sizes, to use one platform to ship products to anyone, anywhere. With the continued growth of eCommerce, we’re positioned to ensure merchants have the multi-courier shipping technology necessary to meet increasing customer expectations,” said Tommaso Tamburnotti, Co-Founder of Easyship.
• Launched in 2015, Easyship helps e-commerce companies to enhance their shipping and tracking experience through solutions that include integration with over 250 international carries, pre-calculated tax and costs, and custom clearance procedures.
• Congrats, team EasyShip!

An ever-changing landscape

• 500-backed iPrice and Parcel Monitor — the shipment tracking platform of 500-backed Parcel Perform — collaborated to uncover the impact of Covid-19 on the ASEAN logistics industry.
• It hasn’t been easy for e-commerce companies to adapt to the new normal. Delivery times in Malaysia and Indonesia were significantly prolonged, while Singapore and Thailand witnessed negligible differences, the report reveals.
• “The worst impacts of social distancing on ecommerce deliveries were felt in Malaysia, where delivery time rapidly increased from 2.1 days (pre-social-distancing), peaking at 4.6 days (during social distancing). Similarly, in Indonesia, parcels took three days to reach destinations during the implemented social distancing measures, significantly slower than the previous average of 2.3 days.”

• The solution to cut down waiting times could be the rising usage of parcel locker networks across Southeast Asia, according to Dr Arne Jeroschewski, founder and CEO of Parcel Monitor & Parcel Perform.
• “This will be a delivery trend that will continue to grow in ASEAN as e-commerce logistics in the region continues to mature.”
• Overall, the adaptability shown by e-commerce companies and carriers during this time is a positive sign for the growth of online shopping and parcel delivery services in the ASEAN region.
• Read the report here.

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500 Startups is a venture capital firm on a mission to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. In Southeast Asia, 500 Startups invests through the pioneering 500 Southeast Asia family of funds. The 500 Southeast Asia funds have backed over 240 companies across multiple sectors from internet to consumer to deep technology. It continues to connect founders with capital, expertise and powerful regional and global networks to help them succeed.

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