“Our self-sign-up portal ‘E-zippie’, revamps digital customer experience with quicker on-boarding and instant shipping solutions for MSME e-commerce brands/sellers,” reveals K Satyanarayana, Co-Founder & Director, Ecom Express
How Ecom Express was established and what are the products/services you offer?
We incorporated Ecom Express, a dedicated e-commerce focused logistics solutions provider, in 2012 when I along with my three friends and colleagues – T. A. Krishnan, Manju Dhawan and Late. Sanjeev Saxena, who had similar professional opportunities and exposures in the Indian logistics and distribution industry, left our corporate jobs to take a shot at building our own company.
On numerous occasions, we discussed at length the growing need for an independent logistics operator who can handle the e-commerce industry’s unique needs, mainly due to the burgeoning e-commerce in India. From our experience, we recognized that the industry, which was mainly served by traditional courier companies, needed a specialized service, which led the four of us to set-up Ecom Express.
This is the first private logistics company in India to have a full-state coverage strategy offered in 20 states. We have a presence in all 29 states, in more than 2500 cities spread across 27,000+ PIN codes in India. We offer end-to-end solutions, including shipment pick-up, delivery and returns, to e-commerce players. Some of our focused offerings include proprietary line-haul network, last-mile distribution using automated and intelligent information systems, network capabilities enabling Cash-on-Delivery, pre-paid and reverse pick-up offerings.
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data analytics are some of the technologies widely being used in the logistics sector. How are you leveraging on these technologies?
As the industry embraces the latest technology, we believe the next mile for us is enhanced automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning.
We are also improving customer experience by investing in new digital capabilities. With the recent launch of our self-sign-up portal ‘E-zippie’, we are revamping digital customer experience with quicker on-boarding and instant shipping solutions for medium, small, and micro e-commerce brands/sellers. We use cutting-edge tech and automation solutions to enable our core business offerings such as first-mile pickup, processing, network optimization and last mile delivery. We have also strengthened our operations management by investing in analytics and have significantly enhanced the efficiency of various functions, such as finance, human resources, operations, and network planning.
Recent months have seen a large number of startups entering the logistics sector. What is attracting them?
India is one of the fast-growing economies and logistics offers great potential for growth in every sector. The players, especially in the e-commerce logistics domain, continue to be driven by the growing e-commerce industry requirements compelling them to look for disruptive logistics solutions through a combination of delivery reliability, speed, and experience to add value and distinct themselves. This is not a “winner takes it all” market and there is enough space for players to co-exist, grow and be successful.
What does it take to be successful in the e-commerce logistics sector? What is the rate of success? Out of the startups that enter the e-commerce logistics space, how many actually survive?
Like many other businesses, logistics is complex and risky. No matter how much one knows about the industry or business, the knowledge always is not enough and requires constant learning. Therefore, it is strongly advised to the entrepreneurs to enter the market with expertise in logistics and supply chain management. It is important for one to be aware of the common challenges and risks associated with the business, only then will she/he be better prepared to curb the pitfalls. It is also advisable that before starting one’s own company, working in logistics industry gives aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to gain credibility as well as form good networks with clients, suppliers, distributors, and everyone involved in the supply chain. These networks come handy later when one begins with his logistics start-up.
