In today’s competitive e-commerce landscape, customers expect real-time visibility into the progress of their parcel throughout the delivery process. A recent study by Sendcloud and Nielsen (2023) revealed that 9% of consumers did not receive their most recent order on the scheduled date, while 20% had to change the delivery time or location after receiving the initial tracking notification.
Retailers that fail to proactively inform their customers face an influx of “Where is my order?” (WISMO) inquiries, accounting for up to 36% of all customer service calls. The long-term cost of subpar customer service is even more evident considering that over 60% of consumers will cease purchasing from a company after a single poor customer service experience.
In order to get ahead of these potential issues, Sendcloud, a leading European shipping platform, announced its acquisition of Tracey, an innovative shipping intelligence company. This strategic move is poised to reinforce the position of Sendcloud as a market leader, bolstering its offering with an enterprise-grade product that enables e-commerce businesses of all sizes to offer the best post-purchase customer experiences.
With proprietary predictive models that exceed industry standards for parcel tracking, Tracey empowers merchants to make smarter shipping decisions and proactively manage customer expectations, turning even unavoidable delivery issues into a positive experience. By acquiring Tracey, Sendcloud expands its end-to-end shipping platform with a diverse portfolio of data tools, including near-real-time parcel monitoring, carrier performance benchmarking, and AI-based delivery predictions.
“We believe exceptional shipping experiences are the key to success for e-commerce businesses,” said Rob van den Heuvel, Founder of Sendcloud. “However, achieving this at scale becomes increasingly complex when working with multiple carriers, offering flexible delivery options, and catering to customers in different countries. That’s why we are excited to welcome Tracey, allowing us to provide online retailers with the best parcel monitoring and benchmarking solution out there.”
Founded in 2012, Sendcloud is the end-to-end shipping platform for e-commerce businesses. Backed by SoftBank and trusted by 25,000 companies across Europe, Sendcloud is on a mission to solve shipping globally. While Tracey, founded in 2019, provides data tools for parcel shippers, from merchants and brands to B2B distributors and e-fulfilment companies. Tracey turns data from over 25 million shipments a year into insights that maximize delivery performance and customer satisfaction while reducing overall shipping costs.
According to Huib Adriaans, Founder of Tracey, “Most parcel shippers are fully focused on processing their orders, leaving the valuable shipping data untouched. Our shipping intelligence helps surface that value and drive the best delivery experiences with data. With the huge shipping volumes processed by Sendcloud, we are able to accelerate the product roadmap, offer more accurate benchmarking, and improve our predictive delivery models. We are truly excited to join the Sendcloud team.”
Carel van Boetzelaer, CEO of World Wide Lighting, a Tracey customer, added: “Over the last year, we have seen a 35% decrease in ‘Where is my order?’ questions, while 9 out of 10 customers say they appreciate proactive delivery communication.” With 24 webshops active in 15 countries, he added regarding the acquisition: “Our goal is to help European SMEs become more sustainable with LED lighting, and optimizing our own delivery process is an important part of that. We are excited to see how Tracey will accelerate with the support of Sendcloud.”
As the integration commences, both companies stated that are committed to ensuring a smooth experience for customers, employees, and stakeholders. The acquisition will not disrupt any ongoing projects or contractual obligations. The customers will benefit from the flexibility of using Tracey as a standalone product or in combination with Sendcloud’s extended offering.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2023/07/eindhoven-based-sendcloud-acquires-ai-startup-tracey-to-eliminate-the-feared-where-is-my-order-in-e-commerce/
