UPDATED 12:00 EDT / JANUARY 16 2023

APPS

Logistics startup Locad raises $11M for ‘retail fulfillment-as-a-service’

Logistics startup Locad today announced it has raised $11 million in an early-stage funding round led by Reefknot Investments to expand its network of supply chain capabilities into Asia-Pacific.

Locad’s platform, which it calls a logistics engine, provides supply chain services for brands and retail outlets to store, pack, ship and track orders for e-commerce and retail using a network that connects warehouses and shipping partners.

Using its cloud-based logistics engine, Locad can synchronize inventory across sales channels such as Shopify, Shopee and TiktokShop in order to provide end-to-end order fulfillment for retail outlets to offer full service from storage to delivery. Alongside a geographically distributed network of warehousing infrastructure, merchants can stock goods closer to customers, enabling them to deliver faster and at a lower cost.

Also joining the Series A fund are returning investors Sequoia India and Southeast Asia’s Surge, Febe Ventures, Antler, as well as new investors Access Ventures, JG Summit and WTI. The company said it will use the new funds to expand its current network, further product development and hire more talent to scale up across Southeast Asia and Australia.

“As modern consumer brands are transforming to direct-to-consumer and omnichannel retail, we have seen that the supply chain and fulfillment infrastructure is a key barrier to scaling the business for many brands,” said Locad co-founder and Chief Executive Constantin Robertz. “And, the bar is only rising further, due to higher customer expectations for fast delivery, and the complexity driven by an increasing number of sales channels.”

The startup says that since launch, the company has served more than 200 brands across Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong and Australia, and shipped more than 2 million orders while maintaining a same-day fulfillment rate higher than 99%.

The company’s platform has been put to use by global consumer brands such as sandals merchant Havaianas, health products company Reckitt Benckiser and mattress retailer Emma Sleep in the region and is continuing to expand access to its logistics network infrastructure for direct-to-consumer brands and merchants.

“Success in omnichannel commerce for modern consumer brands requires a powerful supply chain orchestrated by software that seamlessly integrates the infrastructure of warehouses and shipping carriers,” said Robertz. “And that’s what we’re building here at Locad.”

With hundreds of brands now having access to the Locad logistics engine, and so many customers and businesses using online systems to provide fulfillment, it’s becoming more necessary to reduce costs for packaging and shipping.

“Over the next five years, we expect to build the region’s largest network of warehouses, enabling next-day delivery in Tier 1 to 3 cities across the region, and make this available to brands and merchants in one integrated platform,” said Robertz.

Photo: Pixabay

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