(PRWEB) May 12, 2016 - Digital disruption of traditional ocean shipping has set sail. Tech in Asia describes the Los Angeles-based technology startup Shippabo as being like an “Expedia” for customers of ocean freight shipping, but providing a much broader range of services than price quotes and comparisons.
The Wall Street Journal cites a report by British research firm Transport Intelligence identifying Shippabo as being among startups shaking up land-to-ocean shipping -- “a $160 billion global business that hasn’t kept up with contemporary communications.”
Shippabo is a logistics technology company that has developed an online freight management application that allowing import and export companies of all sizes to gain greater control of their shipping process and simplify their ocean freight bills, according to CEO Nina Luu.
Luu notes that customers can compare ocean freight cost, select an ocean container shipping company, select LCL shipping (less than container load), choose a shipping date, handle customs entries and book immediately using Shippabo’s secure, web-based application.
"We believe that our customers want options allowing them to make the best choices for their companies," Luu says. She adds that one of Shippabo's goals is to make ocean shipping less stressful and easier to manage.
A company video displays the kinds of shipping actions and documents that Shippabo automates.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, digital platforms such as Shippabo are particularly beneficial for smaller companies that cannot afford the rates of large, traditional freight forwarders.
Luu reports that her company has gained hundreds of import and export shipping clients since its beta launch, which took only three months.
Before helping to create Shippabo, Luu was an entrepreneur and importer who also specialized in business-to-business marketing.
The company’s CTO, Sam Luu, who designed the Shippabo application for easy user experience, previously worked on application for Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Shippabo partners with domestic and overseas logistics companies, including:
- Container consolidators
- Freight forwarders
- NVOCCs (similar to consolidators and forwarders, but they don’t have vessels)
- Customs clearing operations
- Freight warehouses and
- Trucking and drayage companies.
The company’s shipping carriers include APL, Cosco, United Arab Shipping Company, Maersk and Safmarine,
CEO Luu explains that Shippabo’s cloud-based software organizes and automates all the steps required to move a container from an oversea factory to a designated warehouse in the U.S. Luu says that Shippabo exists, because its co-founders believe their knowledge of the shipping industry and their application can “make management of ocean shipments as easy as management of UPS shipments.”
She adds that her team thinks it is time to simplify the traditional ocean shipping process and to acknowledge, “Competitive ocean shipping rates do not equal bad service.”
Shippabo, which is located in Los Angeles, can be contacted by email at support(at)shippabo.com or at the Shippabo website.