The Bharat moment: How logistics enabler Shipyaari is putting SME and MSME at the core of its purpose

The Shipyaari journey has all the trappings of a successful Bollywood movie: twists, turns, and some good ol’ yaari (friendship).

It all started with a dream - two yaars (friends) wanted to ensure that all Indian businesses, big or small, were able to reach their audience. The stage was set - India was aiming to pursue a $5 trillion economy goal, the D2C industry was booming, and India’s MSME businesses, or ‘cub brands’, slowly started finding themselves in the spotlight.

Cub brands are brands that have the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with the biggest names in the industry and become big brands or ‘lion brands’. All they need is a little nudge in the right direction. And that’s what Nayan Ratandhayara and Vishal Totla aimed to provide. The duo realised that they could be one of the enablers of the growth of India Inc by being the wind behind the wings of ‘cub brands’.

But here’s the catch: The yaars had no tech background and came from different industries. But their common dream made them strive to make a difference in the ecosystem. Over the years, they found a supportive tribe and together came up with technological solutions to bridge the gap in the logistics sector and make it more inclusive. 

Since its launch in 2013, the logistical-tech company has been a solid support system for SMEs and MSMEs. With time, it expanded its solutions and features to ensure seamless experiences for customers.

Today, the team has leveraged technology and expertise to become the trusted choice of more than 25,000+ businesses across India. 

Getting started

Ratandhayara and Totla became friends while pursuing their chartered accountancy studies. After working in different companies, the duo saw a major gap in the ecosystem. They noticed that smaller businesses usually didn’t have funds to invest in a logistics management system (LMS), a privilege enjoyed by industry big-wigs. This gap led them to launch Shipyaari, an easy plug-and-play logistics solution for companies struggling to find the perfect LMS for their growing business. 

But the journey was anything but easy. While the founders had big dreams and aimed to change the logistics ecosystem, they struggled due to inadequate technical knowledge and being newbies in the industry. The first few years were challenging as the founders were “learning every day”. Their tech know-how was “always Work-In-Progress”, and upgraded as needed. But as the business grew, so did their team. This team became the magic element in their success story. Instead of just hiring professionals from the logistics industry, Ratandhayara and Totla hired domain experts from departments like marketing, product, and sales among others. They wanted to bring a new perspective to the logistics world. But alongside that, the common theme between each of their hires was that they all had the same dream.

Those early years led to the creation of a loyal customer base and the establishment of a reputation for reliability and efficiency. Today, the customer retention rate at Shipyaari is higher than most of its competitors, ranging from 24 to 36 months. Customers who have chosen to partner with the logistics company have been with them for years.

The Shipyaari growth trajectory totally changed with the pandemic, which proved to be a turning point. As the world grappled with uncertainty and isolation, the logistics platform witnessed the rise of India’s D2C ecosystem first-hand. The D2C sector was booming and startups were determined to reach customers even in the remotest corners of India. They turned to logistics partners to fulfil their goals, putting Shipyaari on the track to rapid growth. The team saw a 60% YoY growth in the last five years.

The brand now serves 29,000+ pin codes across India through a wide range of carriers and offers a variety of integration channels.

Transforming into a reliable logistics partner

Shipyaari provides a range of services like transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, international, hyperlocal, and courier. Over time, the team leveraged the power of technology and provided technical support to budding businesses, be it buyers or sellers. 

The company offers a multifunctional dashboard, which lets customers place orders, track shipments, manage returns, and ensure COD. It also provides an easy integration solution, which helps customers fetch all orders from marketplaces and channels like Shopify, Amazon, Magento, and others to a single platform. 

The non-robotic NDR management helps customers save time and money by reducing RTO. It provides customers with real-time tracking updates and seamless delivery. The team boasts of a successful delivery percentage of 88% to 90%. Shipyaari also offers Express COD remittance at T+1 days instead of the usual delay of T+4 or more days. In case of lost shipment, customers also get insurance coverage up to Rs 5,000. Customer support is available for 18 hours a day.

Standing by India’s ‘cub brands’

The growth of India Inc is for the world to see. ‘Make In India’ and the dream of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ shaped and transformed the nation into a global manufacturing and investment destination. Today, there are almost 30 million SMEs or ‘cub brands’ in the country supporting this mission, and the workforce is expected to reach 12 million in the next three years.

In face of this massive growth, the emergence of enablers like Shipyaari is inevitable. Apart from their large reach, the company has a multi-city warehousing and dark store inventory. Each of their products are designed to help companies achieve their targets and reach more customers. Through their technological prowess, Shipyaari has managed to support and enable the growth of companies in India to reach over 190 other countries.

Shipyaari 2.0

All this points toward one thing. As India Inc scales towards the $5 trillion economy goal and beyond, Shipyaari – with its controlled operations, AI-led superior technology, a wide bouquet of services and customer-first approach – is waiting in the wings to propel Indian companies and brands to the next level. With a robust set of features, services and partnerships in the pipeline, all eyes are set on Shipyaari’s exciting year ahead.