SmartShift, the digital mobility start-up from the US$ 17.8 billion Mahindra Group, today announced the launch of its operations in Ahmedabad, its fourth city after successful launches in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Aimed at enabling efficiencies in the last mile logistics space, SmartShift acts as a platform for cargo owners and transporters to work with each other, ensuring a mutually beneficial relationship.
SmartShift is an intra-city digital load exchange platform for cargo owners and transporters, enabling them to efficiently transport cargo from point A to point B. Cargo owners (both businesses and individual users) can access the SmartShift service through a world class mobile app (available on Android), the website or the dedicated call centre. The key differentiator that SmartShift brings to this space is the feature of “Reverse Bidding”. This implies that the app successfully emulates the bargaining process between cargo owners and transporters, allowing them to close the deal at a mutually acceptable price.
In just 18 months since launch, SmartShift has emerged as the leading industry player in Mumbai and Hyderabad and is gaining unprecedented traction in Bengaluru as well. It has become the preferred choice for over 15,000 stakeholders, clocking approximately 1,500 transactions a day. The team is now geared towards its next ambitious milestone of creating a community of 1 million stakeholders over the next 3 years.
Speaking at the launch of SmartShift in Ahmedabad, Kausalya Nandakumar, CEO, SmartShift, said, “We are delighted to enter the state of Gujarat by launching our operations in one of its largest cities, Ahmedabad. We are one of the first organized players to enter this city and we hope to leverage this first-mover advantage to the fullest extent. What really drew us to Ahmedabad was its ambitious people who are always on the look-out for ways to improve their business and life in general. Our pilot operations further strengthened our belief. In Ahmedabad, there is a great need to bring significant cost efficiencies in last mile logistics, with high willingness of both owners and transporters to try aggregator platforms. It is safe to say that the city could become a potential gateway for us to the other significant markets within Gujarat.”
Ms. Nandakumar further added, “According to a report, the logistics industry in India is pegged at $130 billion with 35%-40% of it being in the intra-city space. It is also estimated that 18 lakh small commercial vehicles complete millions of transactions daily, across the country. Going ahead we will not only focus on enabling improved business productivity for our customers but shall continually nurture customer relationships, moving beyond mere transactional business.”
SmartShift by Mahindra offers transparent pricing, an efficient simple one-click booking process and the ability to track cargo after dispatch. As one of the biggest players in the CV industry, Mahindra understands and recognises this ecosystem and its dynamics. As the first intrapreneurial start-up incubated within the Mahindra Group, SmartShift combines the process, governance and discipline of a large mature business with the tenacity, nimbleness and fierce competitiveness of a start-up. The young team strongly leverages the multi-disciplinary mentorship of the Mahindra Group and unmatched privileged access to 150 Mahindra group companies, working as a seamless logistics solution partner in the ‘One Mahindra’ ecosystem.
The unique SmartShift service allows cargo owners to:
- Book a vehicle in less than 3 minutes
- Negotiate the best price through a unique first of its kind “BID” feature
- Choose from a range of certified and trained SmartShifters
- Track the selected SmartShifter to ensure that his consignment is delivered safely and securely
Simultaneously, the SmartShift service allows cargo transporters to:
- Get more business through faster and easier order taking technology
- Get the option of accepting or declining a delivery request based on pricing or the availability of vehicles
- Get the opportunity to explore and expand to other markets
- Look forward to a higher earning potential
About SmartShift by Mahindra
SmartShift by Mahindra, an on-demand logistics provider, is the first digital mobility startup incubated under the aegis of the USD 17.8 billion Mahindra Group. It specializes in providing small commercial vehicles for intra-city first and last-mile requirements. With its intuitive reverse auctioning technology platform and real-time ability to track vehicles, SmartShift aims to make daily logistics requirements of SMEs at least 30% more efficient. For the transporter partners, the first-in-industry feature phone integration, efficient pricing through return trips and focus on community building helps it in disrupting the highly inefficient incumbent ecosystem. Driven by the ambitious goal of owning cargo transportation in the country, SmartShift currently services more than 900 pin codes in 3 cities. Book via Android app or through www.smartshift.in
