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Snapdeal, in an attempt to automate and get better control over logistics process, has made it mandatory for its logistics partners to integrate with its logistic platform. The company is working on developing a new plug and play platform to improvise its logistics.
Snapdeal presently works with about 15 partners across 46,000 pin codes and plans to ramp up its delivery capacities by 20 times. The service will come free of cost to its partners. The platform is in testing phase and will be launched soon.
Currently, individual integration with delivery partners happens on an API (application program interface) to API basis and since different players have very different APIs, integration takes up to a couple of months to complete.
In past two years, the company has already invested $300 Mn in logistics tech and is building a plug-and-play online platform to facilitate integration and cut down dependence on manual procedures. In addition to helping in the optimisation of last mile delivery in remote areas, this platform will also help the company in carrying out its Express delivery services in cities like Delhi for delivering FMCG products.
Snapdeal has also created an app that will be given to partners and they will be able to use it not only for Snapdeal but also for their operations with other ecommerce companies. Earlier, the company has also created backend logistics platform for sellers under SafeShip.
Snapdeal is recently marked as the fastest deliverer among the major Indian players. To support its products like one hour delivery or four hour delivery, it has also added 2 Mn sq ft of warehousing space spread over 25 cities and has built 63 fulfilment centers to increase its reach to new geographies.
Apart from issues like price wars, etailers are continuously dealing with under utilisation of resources and lack proper check on associated sellers inventory or delivery vehicles and persons. With ecommerce expected to react a valuation of $220 Bn in 2015, preparing solid grounds for better logistics is definitely the need of hour.
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