I’ve written extensively lately about blockchain, and for good reason.
What if you are ready to digitize your freight and logistics needs, but aren’t ready to invest in this newly explored frontier?
Digital Shipping Solutions
Our lives have been transformed by convenient technology, from hailing a cab to having razors delivered monthly to our doorstep. And with so many options within a service industry, comparing prices has also become significantly easier.
But that technology only recently came to the logistics industry. Why?
Shypple: Booking.com for Freight and Shipping Solutions
You’re tired of keeping track of all the papers on your desk or in your file cabinet. In can be days before you have all the information you need to make a final decision about how you will move your product from point A to point B. And once your product is in transit, it takes multiple emails and phone calls to pinpoint its location.
As I learned at Intermodal Europe 2018, lack of visibility is a concern for everyone in the supply chain, yet the industry has not widely embraced solutions to this problem.
Shypple addresses these issues and more.
It’s been touted as the “Booking.com for sea freight,” and rightfully so. If users are already familiar with the concept, why not apply the model to your own industry, especially one as layered as logistics?
In response to the ancient methods of the freight industry, Shypple founder Jarell Habets started Shypple to make transportation easier. With so many options and providers in the market, this dashboard allows users to compare quotes, consolidate documents, and track shipments from one application.
Furthermore, Shypple offers financing options, insurance, and customs management. It offers the whole freight package from start to finish!
When I read about Shypple, I was surprised to learn that no service like this existed for logistics. A digital platform for planning every branch of a shipment’s journey seems like an obvious need. (Again, how is there such a lack of visibility?) But as I have come to learn, the industry has not been quick to evolve.
How does Shypple improve the shipping industry?
With Shypple, customers can make responsible, fully informed decisions in less time, saving their companies valuable resources. But how does it pressure the logistics industry to change?
On one hand, this type of ranked comparison makes it easier for customers to choose the cheapest – but not necessarily highest quality – option. This may further encourage the “race to the bottom,” which is something that many agree is not good for the industry.
On the other hand, it may pressure the supply chain to improve in other ways in order to be competitive. How does your company fair when compared side-by-side to your competitors in a platform that allows customers to book in one click? What do you have to offer customers other than a low price?
Final Thoughts
I’m still an advocate for blockchain technology in the logistics industry. Those who had the resources to invest in trials and research should absolutely do so.
But Shypple solves a different problem for users on the supply chain. Shypple is for the one who initiates the chain but the last link on the line. It makes building the chain simpler and more visible. And the industry could use more visibility.
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