Shiprocket - India's Smart Shipping Solution

Are you an MSME player or any small business unable to reach out to various locations? Are you trying to go online to start a platform, but you do not have the necessary funds? Such cases deprive you of the opportunity to grow globally, and this is what Shiprocket sees in solving in India through its Market Place Model.

Marketplace Models in E-Commerce is, in fact, one of the most adopted models seen over time by startups like Flipkart, Udaan, and Meesho. Logistics management is the most important for each one of them. The claim that Amazon is a logistics company is, after all, not wrong.

The Problem!

But not every startup has that capability. D2C Brands like Mamaearth, Boat, Man Company cannot afford to set up their warehouses all across for last-mile connectivity.

Shiprocket removes this bottleneck by providing a well-organized technology platform integrating the delivery and warehousing solutions. It offers affordable programs for MSMEs to come online and sell wherever they like. Shiprocket offers many benefits such as storage, packaging, delivery in India and abroad at affordable prices utilising the best courier provider and reduced freight prices with its top-rated shipping partners, including FedEx, Bluedart, and Ecom Express, in addition to shipping automation. It can also be integrated with any E-commerce platform, including Amazon and eBay.

Shiprocket is India's leading order fulfillment platform, serving more than 1.5 lakh SMEs, D2C vendors, and social media vendors. Some notable clients include MamaEarth, Gillette, BoAt, mCaffeine, and many more.

Business Model

Launched in 2012, Shiprocket has 442 operators, covering all departments worldwide, and operates 2 million shipments each month. It claims to have a 60,000 monthly active retailer base with 10,000 D2C products.

They earn their revenue on every shipment that goes through their network, along with subscription license fees and other value-added technology services that the merchants avail from them.

Is Shiprocket an aid for all MSME/D2C Problems?

• Need an online platform to support? - Shiprocket Social allows businesses to go online by building a store and registering products for free. It will enable any retailer to easily navigate the world of social media through free features such as a Facebook store, payment gateways, sales tracking dashboard, etc.

• Logistics, the big old problem? - Shiprocket Social comes with a pre-assembled transport dashboard that allows any retailer to send products to 27,000+ PIN codes PAN India and 220 countries worldwide. They also provide Shiprocket Packaging – a high-quality packaging solution.

• Need to choose a suitable storage model? - Shiprocket Fulfilment is a flexible offering that helps the seller control the sudden increase in order volume at busy times of the year. It has its active operations in all five major cities: Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

• Need last-mile delivery? They run a feature named Shiprocket Saral, a hyperlocal delivery aggregator, providing the services of hyperlocal professional partners such as Dunzo and Shadowfax over a distance of 50 miles.

The numbers and way forward!

Shiprocket's overall metrics, revenue, and active monthly merchants have almost tripled on a Y-o-Y basis. Their shipping services are priced very low, with home shipping starting as low as Rs.22 / 500 gms.

They have reached 85,000+ vendors, and their vision is to expand to 250K in the next 2-3 years. The company's expenditure growth front saw a welcoming fall in 2019 compared to 2018, but the pandemic cost them a lot, raising its expenditure by 124%.

The company plans to start growing internationally and employs teams dedicated to this and expects its international business to significantly contribute to productivity growth in the coming years.

The company has raised over $279mn so far, with Razorpay, CRED founder Kunal Shah, CEO of Zomato, and Co-founder Deepinder Goyal participating in their fundraising. Today, the company supplies 4-5% of all E-commerce in India at a meager price serving more than 85,000 active D2C sellers.

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Written by - Sanath Raghul