So you received your recent online purchase in just two days, ever thought about the delivery boys behind the scene? When we say delivery boys we are not talking about the DHLs of the world alone. Right from the moment you pick up a glass of water in the morning to the cotton filled pillow you rest your head on at night; the logistics Industry is literally the back stage production house for it all.
Keeping this in mind, Startup Saturday Mumbai, on 10th August 2013 was based on the theme – Logistics and Supply Chain – Companies that Deliver. With 2 diverse speakers, Mr.Sachin Oswal, Co-Founder of Infibeam, India’s popular e-commerce website gave us incredible insights in logistics and warehousing in the B2C space. Mr.Amit Jain, Managing Director at Techno Purple, gave us the B2B perspective in tracking.
To say that Mr.Sachin Oswal keeps track of the e-commerce industry would be an understatement. Always being ahead of the curve in the online retail industry would be more appropriate. From starting Infibeam.com, one of India’s largest online retailer to enabling other retailers to set up shop online through buildabazaar.com; Sachin gave us insights in many aspects of the online retail industry.
Did you know that Cash on Delivery (COD) constitutes more than 50% of e commerce online transactions? Of the 1,00,000 pincode locations in India, COD is currently able to service only 5,000 pincodes! This presents a huge opportunity for an entrepreneur setting up business to facilitate COD in other pin codes.
Mr.Sachin Oswal’s talk was practical and easy to relate. Other points covered in his talk were reverse logistics, the hub and spoke model of courier companies, international shipping, online marketplaces and region wise service of courier companies. The audience was listening with rapt attention to every point discussed by Mr.Oswal.
From a B2C business model, we moved to a B2B model with our next speaker Mr.Amit Jain. Amit Jain, MD of Techno Purple, a company for GPS enabled Vehicle Tracking and Mobile Tracking devices. TechnoPurple was selected as one of the most promising companies by Economic Times – Power of Ideas, 2010. Their clients consist of companies from FMCG, Pharma, Telecom sectors where there are more than 50 employees on the field.The GPS device helps to track the location of the employee, amount of time spent at a particular place and therefore helps build accountability. Their product the Techno Tracker has tight integration with multiple phone features like camera, texting, Google maps, memory and Battery level. It also enables data and image storage in GPRS blackout zones or offline mode.
From the employer perspective, Techno Tracker offers a systematic dashboard with in-depth analytical reports, simple user interface and easy integration with ERP systems being some of the features. Mr.Amit Jain ended his session by sharing with the audience his secret to success…being positive always.
On that positive note, we marked the end of yet another power packed, informative and enriching session of Startup Saturday, Mumbai.
Written by Yuktie Jhangiani