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There is no doubt about it: with every online order that has been delivered, expectations of recipients go higher and higher. Shops and e-tailers are to deliver parcels even faster, more conveniently and more sustainably – at times within a preferred time window, using the preferred carrier, and with maximum transparency even before the Buy Now button has been hit. There is no room for delays and mistakes – competitive pressure in the eCommerce sector is simply too fierce.

Boris Scholz knows a thing or two about the dilemma that many D2C businesses are faced with. In the capacity of Managing Director, he oversees the Digital business segment which covers FIEGE’s complete eCommerce product portfolio. “The complexity of eCommerce operations is growing by the minute. Stand-alone solutions no longer suffice to help e-tailers advance. To enjoy success, one must be able to rely on a seamless interaction between digital services, the logistical infrastructure behind them and on the actual service as such”, Scholz explains.

Customers only reach their journey’s destination when they are greeted by simple, and more importantly, customer-focused processes at every single touchpoint along the way. Every time a fork along the road does not have the right signpost, many potential shoppers simply back off and look elsewhere. Scholz adds: “This is exactly where the FIEGE eCommerce Suite sets off. Our integrated solution pairs software with services yet is still composed of modular, flexible components that can be combined freely. This allows us to simplify eCommerce many times over.”

What may sound trivial at first is the decisive advantage of FIEGE’s solution. After all, no two eCommerce businesses are exactly the same: different products, different inventory and third-party systems, different sales channels, different growth plans. “Our eCommerce Suite offers access to solutions for D2C starters which for reasons of cost were reserved to the big players in the past. Established e-tailers, in turn, can tap as needed a total peace-of-mind package or dedicated individual services – in combination with the certainty that we can handle any level of scaling”, Scholz tells us.

The eCommerce Suite works as a custom-fit solution even for e-tailers aiming to access the European market. Scholz explains: “We can combine the necessary software with the required services according to the individual requirements. Our clients receive exactly – and only – what they really need. That creates flexibility and financial security.”

The offer encompasses the full value chain of digital retailing: from marketplace solutions, omnichannel and stock management to eCommerce fulfilment and parcel shipments to financial services, carrier claims management and customer service. And even data-based tools that optimise the shipping process, such as the pick-up navigator, are included in the Suite. Everything is used via a single interface, that is to say, a transparently arranged user interface, to keep an eye on all activities.

Meanwhile, FIEGE has been relying increasingly on intelligent technologies in order to further optimise their services offering. “The great advantage for us are our years of experience. We developed the ability to spot digital trends and align them with the needs of our clients at a very early point in time. This is also helping us in the age of artificial intelligence”, Scholz says.

FIEGE already has its own market-ready solutions for optimal parcel freight, such as Risk AI. “The risk management tool combines data sources such as weather forecasts, traffic congestion reports or strike announcements”, Scholz says. “This makes early collections and diversions via alternative hubs, carriers or tours possible – and the delivery still reaches its destination via the fastest route.” As part of Communicate AI, the risk management informs end customers as well as other partners pro-actively and automatically of consignments that are at risk, which increases satisfaction and reduces service enquiries.

But how to find the best possible parcel service for eCommerce shipments in the first place? Especially when performance or prices fluctuate and many recipients have their very own preferences? FIEGE is already working on an AI-based solution for this, as Scholz explains: “The challenge lies in securing an optimum carrier mix throughout the ongoing process. Our Hero AI tool is to automatically adapt with help from artificial intelligence when a partner’s priorities change on account of costs, duration, or quality.” This will put e-tailers one step ahead of the competition at all times.