The ecommerce market is evolving at an incredible rate. Accelerated by changing buying trends following the pandemic, reports suggest that this landscape will be worth around $57.22 trillion by 2032. The rapid growth of the market, even in spite of the current supply chain crisis, highlights the huge demand for online shopping in the modern world. 

In this growing market, international expansion represents a major growth opportunity for online retailers, offering a chance to connect with new consumers all over the world. 

Unfortunately, expansion can be challenging, particularly for smaller businesses. Many of the most significant issues faced by companies stem from the logistics and shipping landscape. Challenges include navigating customs (44.5%), cross-border logistics (37%), cross-border returns (33.5%), managing expectations (34.5%) and tracking deliveries (27.5%). 

While freight forwarders have offered businesses access to international expansion opportunities for decades, traditional solutions can be expensive, time-consuming, and complex. In addition, they’re often tailored to the needs of larger companies. 

Enter Ship4wd, an innovative digital freight forwarding company focused on helping small businesses navigate the challenges of global expansion. 

The Challenges of Traditional Freight Forwarding

Freight forwarding is one of the most common tools that businesses use to facilitate international expansion. While freight forwarding companies don’t carry out shipments themselves, they act as a middleman between retailers and the people or company receiving their shipments. 

These organizations use their connections with partners and carriers around the globe to ensure that products are transported safely overseas. This often requires a lot of complicated logistical admin from retailers, such as filling out paperwork and chasing down suppliers to track orders and information, which can be time-consuming and tedious for companies.

The complexity of the traditional freight forwarding process makes it difficult for retailers to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Around 90% of consumers say they want instant updates on the whereabouts of their packages. Without the most up-to-date technology, it’s almost impossible to offer these insights. 

To make matters worse, traditional freight forwarding companies aren’t always the ideal option for smaller businesses. Since smaller businesses often lack the staff members and expertise to take care of all the necessary admin steps, logistics becomes extremely complex for them. 

In addition, many traditional freight forwarders are reluctant to work with smaller brands as they ship lower volumes of products. This sometimes means that smaller businesses are relegated to a second priority, and left dealing with unexpected changes and delays. 

Bringing Freight Forwarding into the Digital Age

Ship4wd’s freight forwarding solution digitizes many of the steps involved in international ecommerce expansion, focusing specifically on the needs of smaller businesses. The company offers smaller brands an all-in-one online platform where they can manage shipments, book deliveries, select transportation routes, and access real-time updates. 

Ship4wd’s all-in-one freight forwarding platform makes it simple for smaller companies to search for quotes from suppliers, access a complete history of all their orders and transactions, and even connect with shipping companies in real time when necessary. 

Unlike other digital freight forwarding solutions, Ship4wd also takes a unique approach to supporting its customers. The brand is committed to delivering bespoke 24/7 support from human beings to all of the organizations it works with. This ensures companies without freight forwarding experience can easily overcome challenges with the help of a dedicated expert.

A Digital Freight Forwarding Solution for SMBs

Because Ship4wd focuses on smaller brands, it has taken a unique approach to addressing some of the most significant challenges these companies face – starting with cash flow management. 

Within the platform, companies can access real-time shipping quotes from Ship4wd’s global network of suppliers, with unique options for FCL, LCL, and air transportation. This end-to-end visibility means that small businesses can see pricing options up front and can budget accordingly, knowing that they will not be hit with unexpected charges later. 

Most importantly, Ship4wd’s relationships with its partners means it can offer small businesses the preferred rates that would usually be reserved for larger companies and shipments. 

What’s more, for small companies looking to ship by sea, Ship4wd also guarantees container allocation, regardless of load size - the only freight forwarder to do so, reducing the risk that these businesses will have to pay more just to access a shipping solution. 

The company has credit lines available, where companies can apply for flexible financial support, accessing up to $10,000 in extra funding. In addition, there’s the option to request flexible payment terms for up to 90 days, reducing the pressure on an SMB’s cash flow. 

According to Ship4wd’s CEO and founder, Carmit Glik, “We developed our platform and network specifically to address the challenges faced by SMBs. Our strategy ensures that smaller brands can still unlock the benefits of international expansion, without having to pay unreasonable rates.” 

Helping SMBs Cultivate Loyal Customers

Ship4wd’s platform doesn’t just give SMBs the opportunity to save money on international expansion strategies and improve their cash flow. The brand also offers a variety of solutions designed to help businesses overcome further logistics challenges, and so build customer loyalty. 

Ship4wd partners directly with SMBs, assisting with processes like accessing cargo insurance to reduce the impact of damaged and delayed shipments. They can help organizations complete essential documentation, manage customs issues, and even access door-to-door and port-to-port shipping options.

What’s more, the data on the digital platform is constantly updated in real time, giving businesses the insights they need to share transparent order information with customers. Companies can track the movement of products as it happens, without having to manually communicate with partners. 

This means that sellers can offer up-to-date order insights to their customers, including informing them immediately when delays happen, leading to stronger brand relationships. According to Sprout Social, customers say that they’re 85% more likely to stick with a brand during a crisis if they’re transparent with their communications. 

Simplifying International Expansion for SMBs

The bottom line here is that while every ecommerce company can benefit from international expansion, SMBs rarely get the same opportunities and treatment as larger brands. Traditional freight forwarding companies have often failed to address the core challenges faced by smaller companies when shipping products overseas, from cost issues to a lack of real-time data. 

Ship4wd seems to have addressed this problem head-on, creating a solution that not only digitizes complicated processes, but also tackles the unique concerns that SMBs face. In an age where ecommerce is growing at an incredible rate, Ship4wd gives small and medium-sized businesses the opportunity to streamline logistics processes, overcome complexity, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.