Market research on shipping and logistics software and service providers 

This is a research and strategy project focused on shippers and logistics service providers with software and services to automate, optimize, and reduce the cost of shipping goods across the supply chain.

We are looking to understand: a) How fragmented the market is, b) Need for consolidation c) Demand for one stop solution. We are seeking to determine the need for a company that enables the free flow of goods, information and services so that every shipper can work with any carrier. The research will also provide analysis of the demand to grow the offerings of products and services through consolidation or product and service expansion.

Core Software: 

Global Multi-carrier Shipping Solution is a narrow subset of the global transportation management systems (TMS) that enables shipping with multiple carriers from a single system. Such software provides carrier rate, routing, and service information and business rules for optimal cost, speed, and accuracy, generates carrier compliant labels, documentation, and electronic manifesting, transmits shipment data to and from carrier IT systems, tracks and provides visibility of shipments. The software is supported by a library of carriers.

Shipping Services: 

Services that support shipping software include software deployment, integration, customization and support. Complementary services include carrier contract negotiation, warehouse planning and logistics consulting, parcel insurance, transportation brokerage, and general transportation services. Companies in this space also resell and maintain shipping hardware, such as printers, scales, scanners and conveyors.

If you have deep expertise in the supply chain sector in core software or shipping services segments, please connect to this project to learn more details and discuss the scope privately. This is a collaborative project and we are looking for several top consultants, operators, subject-matter experts and investment professionals with deep expertise in various aspects of the supply chain industry.

The goal of this project is to validate an investment thesis and demarcate a defensible strategy/niche in which a company can take and sustain a leadership position, and as the industry evolves, it can continue to create incremental value for the customer. The goal of this project is to validate Investment Thesis Hypotheses

1.  Substantiate or refute the hypotheses

2.  Provide evidence

3.  Articulate the implication on the strategy (positive and negative)

4.  Recommend additional key assumptions that must be true for the thesis to be viable

Among the key questions this project seeks to answer:

a) What is the market need and why?

b) Which segment of the market has the most need: customers, shipping volume, vertical markets, what load size, what transportation model - trucks, sea, air, rail etc, what geography, how focused / broad is the need?

c) What is the competition - who are the winners and why?

d) What is the unique value propositions and the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, and threats among companies / players?

e) Define and size the customers by segment and define their issues and opportunities

f) Analyze technology and market trends and target companies; what is new today in the market that is becoming a growing shift?

g) Recommend a strategy

h) Define market and execution risks