Giztix, a tech startup, offers competitive pricing and reliable services via the bidding process involving hundreds of transport and logistic service providers.
“Giztix gives importers and exporters a new way of booking shipping service for their cargoes. For example, they don’t need to get a quote by phone from various shipping firms to compare prices as our platform allows a competitive bidding for the service once you input the requirement on your shipping needs. You get the quotes in 24-36 hours from at least 2-3 shipping firms.”
“We have more than 300 registered Thai and foreign shipping firms which have been fully checked on their track record and reliability. Exporters and importers get a full service on price sourcing as well as booking and payment gateway.”
“We guarantee the quality of service plus a basic insurance coverage on cargoes. We will pay transport or shipping firms only after our clients confirm the delivery is completed satisfactorily.”
“We also partner with international delivery service providers such as DHL, Fedex, and TNT. In the Thai market, we’re the first digital platform for freight forwarding and shipping services similar to that of Alibaba in China.”
“In the US, there are also similar digital platforms for transport and logistic service, but none is globally popular like Facebook or Google or Agoda for hotel booking, even though logistics is a fundamental component of international trade.”
“Giztix has already received funding from investors in Singapore and the US to further develop our technical features. A new feature will allow users to instantly book truck services from six wheelers to 18-wheel trailers.”
“Pricing will be transparent like in the airfare business so that customers can compare prices before making a decision.”
“Another new feature is to allow users to check the shipping cost instantly. This will be effective in the next two months. Currently, our staff give you the quote after you leave information on your shipping requirement.”
“For instance, if you want to ship garments to Shanghai, how much it will cost. We will also provide historical data on shipping costs as a reference.”
“Customers also have the freedom to pick the shipping firm but pricing and reliable service are crucial. We also have the review section for users to get more information and feedback from previous users so that competition is not only about pricing, but also the quality of service and customer satisfaction.”
“This feature is similar to that used for the online hotel booking service.”
“We expect a total of 1,000 registered service providers, up from the current 300, over the next 12 months. We will also partner with banks to solicit customers who are importers and exporters. We’ll also focus on e-commerce such as those selling furniture online as we can serve as the shipping gateway for their customers and provide an instant quote on shipping expenses.”
“Previously, we mainly served offline customers for the logistics service.”
“Our business model is to collect membership fees from service providers but we don’t have the commission fees on logistic or shipping charges. However, we levy a surcharge of 2-3 percentage points on customers who benefit from cost savings since our tariffs are based on those charged to forwarders which are usually 10 per cent cheaper.”
“Overall, cost-saving is 5 per cent or more for shippers.”