Industrial Automation Magazine India

Our focus is to increase the delivery rate of shipments

Published on : Saturday 30-07-2022

-Ms Zaiba Sarang Co-founder, iThink Logistics.

Yet another logistics platform for e-commerce – what does iThink Logistics bring to the table?
The core iThink team, which comprises five friends, Zaiba, Vipul, Bharat, Nikul, and Paresh, were working closely with e-commerce companies, and they observed the very intricate details of how logistics was proving to be a challenge within the sector. Manifesting a tech mindset at their foundational levels, they scratched the surface and found an opportunity within the logistics space in the e-commerce ecosystem. This awakening of ambitions to enter the logistics space was not just seen as an opportunity, but as a responsibility too. The trailblazing features that are seen in the iThink logistics platform today can be attributed to the strong sense of responsibility that the iThink team has towards improving logistics in India and the world. iThink wants to take e-commerce logistics to the next level. 

iThink logistics as a company is deeply backed by the tech mentality, which is a tenet that establishes an ethos within the company. This tenet is used to enhance the customer experience. Every step taken at iThink logistics is backed by data and science. The primary factor that defines the company is that we uniquely meld data insight and customer success innovations to create ripples of revolution within the logistics industry like the industry has never seen before. The novel NDR 6-step action plan is a hallmark of iThink’s advanced offerings to their clients, and we are the only company to have patented it. The pioneering process will reduce customers’ returns and avoid fake comments from couriers. Our focus is to increase the delivery rate of shipments. With the provision of a dedicated key account manager, there is an impression of human touch to the operability of the software.

Successful companies do it differently, it is said. What are the challenges in doing so and opportunities waiting to be uncovered?
Many companies try to incorporate disruptive attitudes in their functioning to gain market share in a short period of time through lower pricing and speed of acquisition alongside other unrealistic promises. These gimmicks eventually fail to materialise and deliver the required value creation and user centric offerings in India. The mentality that guides a company towards growth at any cost can be quite disruptive for its own existence. The core cognition needs to be channelised within the company to be the best not to just be No 1 at any cost. This needs to be established by team leaders and experienced members. The self-destructing outlook needs to be eliminated in order to create a sustainable value chain and generate exponential growth.

How many players and stakeholders are connected through this platform?
There are multiple courier partners connected on our platform, like Delhivery, Bluedart, Xpressbees, DTDC, many more. It's not just the courier company that is connected to us, but it’s their delivery boys as well that are connected. We are empowering today 5000+ ecommerce sellers in India today.

Customers today expect instant delivery without increasing cost – how does this work in practice?

Covid brought the globe closer together, and users realised the advantages of being digital. We believe that instant delivery is an obsession-based promise for brands to their consumers, and achieving it successfully is one way to remain competitive. It provides customer satisfaction after the process of purchase and makes for a very good experience. The latest trend of dark stores allows brands to optimise their inventory and keep it accessible to their consumers. As a result, quick delivery becomes more efficient. I view it as a means for e-commerce stores to keep their customers coming back for more and make their company more sustainable; repeat purchases are one of the biggest difficulties for e-commerce today.

How has the pandemic revolutionised the e-commerce industry?
The pandemic has been conferred with the title of the catalyst for the alterations it has brought to many industries as a whole. It has been able to propel technology at the core of everything we do. This is where a dramatic change was seen and e-commerce companies got a massive push because of the changing consumer behaviours. People shifted to online shopping and the transition was seen in masses. The pressure on the logistics industry was also building since logistics made the very essence of e-commerce with the fast deliveries. The push by the pandemic has created such a demand for e-commerce that in 2022, the Indian ecommerce market is predicted to increase by 21.5%, reaching US$ 74.8 billion.

How has been the experience of nurturing a startup and where do you see iThink Logistics in the next five years in this domain?
For an entrepreneur their idea is like their offspring. That child demands full attention and nurturing for it to materialise into its full potential. The idea to eclipse the current system of e-commerce and build an innovative logistics company that can take the next level route was always on my mind. The inception of iThink as a company was based on scratching the surface and digging out solutions for e-commerce logistics operations around in India and the world. Our futuristic outlook was to always integrate and create connected global logistics functionality, because, in a world connected to the internet, and mushrooming global commerce e-commerce sites needed an arm to international last-mile deliveries. The plan is to make international shipping as easy as local shipping. To provide this convenience the biggest factor is having multiple courier partners to choose from. For the future, we’ve planned that in the coming three to five years, we want to increase the size of our workforce and our total growth by five times, which will include expanding into key tier 1 and tier 2 cities in India.