There is no way to ignore the rising trend in online delivery in Bangladesh. Be it food, parcels, or purchases from e-commerce sites, receiving parcels has become a part of our lives for quite some time. With such an opportunity and a huge market in place, it only made sense for more delivery services to rise in Bangladesh. That is where Rapido Deliveries comes in, not just to be in the market, but to bring big changes.
Rapido Deliveries offers 360-degree professional delivery services to the growing needs of the e-commerce industry of Bangladesh. From free doorstep pickup, and packaging, to doorstep delivery, cash collection-disbursement and tracking of the entire process everything necessary for successful delivery is offered by the tech-led logistics company.
The origin of Rapido Deliveries: Founded in 2016, Rapido Deliveries plans to use technology to its advantage so that the client can get a smooth delivery. Using its website, strong Courier Management Software, an in-house ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution, and mobile application, merchants can dispatch their valuable goods throughout the entire country with ease. The backbone of Rapido Deliveries is the utilisation of technology in its most effective form.
Shamdanee Tabriz and Tamzid Ferdous Ryan are the co-founders of Rapido deliveries. In 2018, Tamzid Ferdous bid farewell to the company and since then Shamdanee Tabriz is leading the company to its glories. The team spent four years establishing its own platform, which allows e-commerce entrepreneurs to work from their homes.
Where it is now: The company is currently serving more than 5,000 registered businesses and making over 2,500 deliveries a day. Rapido Deliveries provides customised services that provide businesses complete freedom to link their platforms to Rapido Deliveries using API (Application Programming Interfaces) connections. With this, both the merchant and the consumer get benefits. A consumer can track the order placement, order tracking, delivery dates, and much more. On the other hand, the merchant can keep a record of the deliveries with all the relevant data organised efficiently. Under the 360-degree services, the clients are provided with a tracking ID with which they can easily track their orders.
Rapido Deliveries deliver products within 24 hours in their standard delivery package inside Dhaka. Outside of Dhaka, it takes one or two days. In the case of very remote areas, the delivery takes a time of three or four days maximum which is great in comparison with other delivery services.
Shamdanee Tabriz, CEO of Rapido Deliveries, thinks that delivery services in Bangladesh still have a long way to go. He said, "In the case of delivery, the service variation in Bangladesh is quite inadequate. For example, delivery of food products like cakes is difficult and it needs extra care. If we look at India, we will see that they have some express delivery systems which deliver in just five hours."
Obstacles to overcome: When asked about the challenges in delivering products in Bangladesh, the CEO mentioned the cross-border deliveries and road related problems in Bangladesh.
"Some of our clients want to deliver or grant products from outside the countries preferably from Europe based countries and Canada. The cross-border delivery of products in Bangladesh is still a problem. As for local deliveries, it is easier to send pick-ups instead of bikes in local areas. That being said, the roads are not always suitable for pick-up delivery."
Mentioning German philosopher Theodor W Adorno's famous quote, "The task of art today, is to bring chaos into order", the CEO added, "As logisticians, it's our task to solve complex problems with innovation and technology."
Collecting accolades: Rapido Deliveries made it among the top 25 growth stage startups of Bangladesh among 440 startup companies in the 2015 Connecting Startups Bangladesh. The company also received a seed fund as a part of the Access to Information (a2i) Programme in 2016.
In 2017, Rapido Deliveries became the second runner-up in the category "Retail & Supply Chain Management (RETA-10) - Consumers Domain" at Basis National ICT Awards. In 2018, Rapido received the BID Award for quality in the Gold Standard.
The company also received a seed loan from BRAC University's Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED). In 2021, the startup raised $100,000 in seed funding at an undisclosed valuation in a round backed by local angels. Rapido Deliveries has also become a member of the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), the Courier Service Association of Bangladesh and, CILT.
The man behind the success of this success, young entrepreneur Tabriz has been flourishing on his own too. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT), a professional association that represents the global transportation and logistics industry. Tabriz is also the treasurer of the Bangladesh Chapter of the CILT, YPF.
With a market dominated by big players both local and foreign, Rapido Deliveries has been making its mark with its love for technology and drive for success. With such motivation and leadership, it is exciting to see how rapidly Rapido becomes the go-to destination for all kinds of deliveries.
The writer is a student of Mass Communication and Journalism at Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP).
rabbi.zahidur@gmail.com