Startups helping SMBs with logistics and warehousing this festive season
This festive season is crucial for SMBs looking to recover from the extended lockdown and near-zero revenue. These startups have stepped in to help them overcome warehouse and logistics challenges.
With the festive rush, managing logistics and warehouses can be a major challenge for small and medium businesses (SMBs) as they look to meet demand. With online buying becoming more popular in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, SMBs and retailers are not having it easy when it comes to shipping products.
This festive season is especially crucial for SMBs that are looking to recover from an extended lockdown period and near-zero revenue.
To capitalise on the festive rush, SMBs need to handle demand and supply, use digital payments, and managing end-to-end logistics in an efficient manner. While shipping traditionally required an army of workers to transport, label, and monitor shipments, there are startups providing tech solutions to SMBs to ease the process.
These startups have stepped forward to help SMBs overcome warehouse and logistics challenges this festive season.
MaxWholesale
Founded in July 2016, is a B2B ecommerce platform for kirana stores to source inventory on-demand. It helps kirana stores discover price and scheme on various FMCG products and get door-step delivery much faster than traditional methods.
The platform ensures end-to-end solutions to the retailers and kirana stores including product supply, financial credit, payments, and digital storefronts.
The company has warehouses in eight locations in Delhi-NCR and Chandigarh tri-city, and is operating with a network of delivery vehicles in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, and Ghaziabad to fulfil the demand of over 23,000 retailers in real-time.
The company manages inventory in its warehouses and has developed its own logistics arm for next-day delivery of orders.
ANS Commerce
is a full-stack ecommerce enabler startup that helps other brands sell on the brand store (its own website) and marketplaces (Amazon, ,etc) by providing a platform that includes brand store tech, performance marketing, marketplace management, and warehousing.
ANS Commerce works with over 90 brands across segments helping them sell on their brand stores along with over 15 marketplaces. ANS Commerce counts Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Portico, Piramal, CEAT, Marico, Bath & Body Works, and ITC amongst its brand partners.
ANS has now augmented its warehousing capacity and brands stores with tech-enabled solutions for SMBs to meet the festive demand on time and giving real-time tracking for smooth functioning.
Shiprocket
One of India’s most used ecommerce logistics and shipping solutions, offers customers a premium ecommerce experience with automated shipping. The Delhi-based startup aggregates logistics partners and provides shipping solutions to more than 40,000 active D2C (Direct to Consumer) sellers.
The startup is focussed on the D2C segment of the market, which includes online-only brands, social commerce retailers, and O2O brands.
It has put together a range of offerings, including a seller-focussed app to help SMBs with hyperlocal deliveries, fulfilment and warehousing, packaging, and checkout enhancement.
Ecom Express
is renowned for its nationwide express delivery services for the ecommerce industry. The logistics company claims to reach over 90 percent of India’s population, with 85 percent of its presence in Tier II, III and IV cities, and hinterlands.
To help SMBs keep up with the festive demand, the company claims to have added over a million square feet area across its various facilities in Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Vijayawada.
It has also invested in high-speed automated sorters at centres, and added capacity to handle surge in volumes.
Ecom Express’ network empowers and connects sellers and consumers, thereby enabling the growth of the ecommerce industry and its surrounding ecosystem. The company's reach now extends to over 27,000 PIN codes in the country.
Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta