As e-commerce market slows, Ninja Van adds 2 logistics partners in Thailand
Logistics provider Ninja Van Thailand announced a partnership with two Thai startups that sell online logistics management systems for businesses – SHIPPOP and iShip – as Thailand's e-commerce market slows.
The partnership will deliver new clients to Ninja Van, while SHIPPOP and iShip will be able to access the best deals from Ninja Van for their clients, Narisara Kongcharoensukying, Ninja Van Thailand's head of commercial, told reporters at a media event.
She said Ninja Van's collaboration with SHIPPOP and iShip is part of the company's growth strategy.
While the country's online shopping market is still growing, the volume this year is less than last year, she said, noting that consumers have been returning to stories since the end of the pandemic instead of shopping online.
Logistics providers also recognise that promotions and special price offers are no longer effective for long-term growth.
The new partnership will help Ninja Van leverage its products and services with advanced technologies and innovative automation, Narisara said.
“The collaboration between Ninja Van Thailand and its two partners, SHIPPOP and iShip will strengthen our effort to support SME entrepreneurs to be ready to overcome obstacles and challenges for sustainable growth.” Narisara said.
Sutthikead Chantarachairoj, founder and CEO of SHIPPOP, said that the e-commerce market in 2021-2022 was not as strong as it was in previous years. Rather than competing against each other, the companies have shifted their focus to marketing strategies in order to increase profits as campaigns such as double-digit sales have not been popular.
SHIPPOP has not been directly impacted by the market’s challenges, he said, adding that its main challenge is to expand its customer base and introduce new product lines to help online merchants in addition to providing logistics services.
He gave an example by mentioning SHIPPOP's involvement with Ninja Procurement. The scheme offers more efficient procurement solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SHIPPOP also gives online merchants more importing options to help them grow their businesses.
"As a leading provider of an online shipping management system and a Ninja Van Thailand partner, SHIPPOP is committed to providing the best shipping rates and service conditions to SMEs. We are constantly striving to adapt and introduce new channels that provide our customers with convenient tools to streamline their work processes," he said.
Perasak Sae-tan, co-founder and chief technology officer of iShip, said that the cost of logistics and shipping is rising and many companies are being forced to adapt and change their business models.
The company's collaboration with Ninja Van Thailand will allow it to offer more affordable shipping rates to shippers, covering transportation, back-end systems, and marketing to help reduce costs and increase profits for service users, he said.
He also said that, as a Ninja Van Thailand partner, iShip is ready to assist SME businesses with all deliveries, from oversized packages to frozen food.
Ninja Van's focus on providing more than just parcel delivery services remains unchanged, Narisara said.
This commitment has led the company to create value-added services and technology-enabled tools to help SME businesses scale their operations, such as Ninja Biz, a mobile application, Ninja Crossborder, a program that assists businesses in sourcing, and Ninja Masterclass, a free online training program, she said.
She expects the new partnership will help Ninja Van expand to over 2,000 drop-off locations nationwide by the end of this year, up from around 17,000 currently.
Ninja Van is a Singaporean logistics company operating in six Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
