RouteQ, a subsidiary of Yandex and a provider of cloud-based delivery management software solutions, today announced an expansion of its operation to the Middle East, to plug the critical gaps in the region’s delivery fleet operations, by providing comprehensive route planning and delivery tracking capabilities for today’s competitive retail, e-commerce, delivery providers, and fast-moving consumer goods businesses.
Couriers are facing increased demand in the wake of the pandemic and e-commerce volume is expected to remain high for some time. Some project that the e-commerce market in the UAE will reach $8 billion by 2025. RouteQ believes that digital transformation will play a significant role in determining the shape of the region’s logistics market in the coming years.
“The number-one challenge facing B2C or B2B organizations in the region, when it comes to moving goods and services from point A to point B, is the vague or incomplete destination address,” said Vladimir Nesterov, general manager for RouteQ in the Middle East. “When you put this together with the relatively high volume of goods returned — up to 40%, according to some reports we are seeing — optimizing routes becomes more important than ever. This is why we feel so strongly that we can add value in the Middle Eastern market.”
Yandex’s experience in mapping exceeds 15 years, and the company has built on past innovations (particularly in the field of complex algorithms) to leverage modern maps and traffic data to enable the most precise delivery in the industry.
More than 200 parameters let enterprises optimize their routing to meet modern logistics challenges — like delivery time windows and customer self-tracking — and dramatically reduce workloads for call centers at the same time. An advanced module, built specifically for the Middle East, lets customers and delivery managers collaborate to fine-tune target locations where a more precise address is not available. These factors play a vital role in significantly reducing delivery truck mileage. Organizations can use RouteQ technology to reduce the number of vehicles used for delivery routes by 30%, which further reduces the carbon footprint and makes operations more sustainable.
RouteQ recently opened operations in Dubai to expand its presence in the Middle East and help regional businesses address their delivery challenges. Leaning on its strong track record with globally recognized brands, including X5 Group, Unilever, Coca-Cola HBC, Carlsberg Group, and Russian Post, the company has already started piloting projects for customers in the region’s retail, e-commerce, and courier sectors. In the coming year, Nesterov plans to expand the company’s regional sales and marketing team, as well as its implementation and support units.
“There is great potential for the delivery sector to grow in this region,” Nesterov said. “The demand and infrastructure is there. We look forward to helping many companies leverage our software to solve key last-mile delivery challenges whether they’re a hungry startup or a household name. We’re sure we can help them significantly drive down operational costs, but more importantly, deliver exceptional customer experiences and foster brand loyalty.”
