Market Trends of Digital Freight Forwarding Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Digital Freight Forwarding Market according to our research experts:
Growth in E-Commerce driving Digital Freight Forwarding Market
In 2019, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to around 3.53 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow even further at a quicker pace in the coming few years. Online shopping is one of the most popular online activities worldwide, both domestic and cross-border e-commerce is booming in developing markets such as China, India, and Indonesia due to that reason. This encompasses not just direct-to-consumer retail, but also shipments of electronics, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. With increasing access to internet even the manufacturers of products are gradually moving from traditional freight forwarding to digital freight forwarding. The major benefits of digital freight forwarding include instant quotes, transparent pricing, comparison of rates and carriers, tracking, easy documentation and others.
Flexport leading the Digital Freight forwarding market
Flexport is a San Francisco-based digital freight forwarder and logistics platform. Founded in 2013, the company has around half of its business in ocean freight and the other half in air freight. After its Series C round of funding in September 2017, Flexport had a valuation of $800 million. DST Global led this round; other investors include Founders Fund and Wells Fargo. In 2018, the company received USD 100 million from SF Express, a leading courier company in China. This brought Flexport's total funding to USD 300 million and its valuation to more than USD 1 billion.
The startup has a run-rate revenue of approximately USD 400 million and is growing steadily. It ships roughly 120,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) annually, with a focus on transpacific trade lanes, where its shipment volume is the 20th largest on the transpacific eastbound route. It reached a revenue of USD 860 million in 2019 and became the leader in digital freight forwarding market as it provides high quality logistics service with added analytical reports.
