ZIM Magazine | #96 | Autumn 2107

32 ZIM Magazine E-commerce is a revolutionary development that has taken the world by storm, turning the retail world upside down. Now, anyone can purchase a wide variety of products, pay for them, track them to see when they'll arrive, and sometimes even return them, unconstrained by geographical location, currency, language or technology (mobile or internet). Some websites even use AI to save our information in order to suggest products we might want, or remind us of ones that had previously interested us. And now the shipping industry is catching up at a rate of knots. Customers now expect shipping companies to offer all the same features as retail and banking websites. They expect to be able to independently negotiate prices, choose lines and track their cargo, the status of their orders, and when the cargo supposed to arrive, all without the help of local agents. E-commerce also lets us offer our customers a "one stop shop" for services they currently receive from other parties. However, unlike in the retail world, where customers expect these features from a website or app, shipping customers want these capabilities integrated into their own core systems as well. Connecting all of the services to the customers' in-house systems enables them to more effectively manage shipping processes, eliminating the need to update the company's records separately. In recent years, ZIM has invested significantly in developing new platforms for these essential processes, and today, about 70% of all booking and shipping instruction activity (BK and SI) comes from our e-customers – a 51% increase over 2 years. Even though a large gap still remains between us and our competitors, we are determined to close it very quickly. The next big thing in the shipping industry is the blockchain – a secure chain of all transaction records, minus the paperwork. In other words, no more letters of credit, no more bills of lading, no more printed bills or receipts. Everything, including payment and documentation, will be managed electronically, with every party (customers, banks, etc.) able to see only the details relevant to them, rather than the entire transaction. Maersk has already launched a pilot of this process with several customers in cooperation with IBM and select banks. By the time their pilot starts to gain momentum, we will be right there with them. ZIM plans to invest heavily in e-commerce in the coming year, developing new options, such as offering customers a personal zone on the ZIM website and an app for tracking all their ZIM transactions. Customers will also be able to make bookings, receive quotes, and issue shipping instructions on the ZIM website, or directly from their own systems. These advantages will also allow customers to pay invoices, print bills of lading and even receive delay notifications. E-Commerce & the Shipping Industry Lior Frenkel, Customer Service