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REDX: Going the distance for Smart Bangladesh
TANZID SAMAD CHOUDHURY
In the past few years, especially during the pandemic, the e-commerce sector has experienced phenomenal growth. People’s purchasing habits have changed due to the Bangladeshi e-commerce revolution, particularly the young generation. However, have you ever considered how online stores ensure that you receive your orders on time? Yes, you guessed it right. To make sure that you receive your products in the convenience of your home at a reasonable price, logistics companies work hard under the sun, the rain, and not to mention, the traffic.
One logistics company that works tirelessly under such conditions to deliver the products to their rightful customers is REDX. REDX is a leading logistics service provider in Bangladesh, with the most widespread network coverage across the country. REDX started its journey on 1st March 2020, two weeks before the first lockdown was in place. Despite the lockdown, the tech-first company continued to provide its services throughout this critical period, helping entrepreneurs to keep their businesses afloat.
REDX aggressively expanded its logistics network to cover all 64 districts of the country and became the number-one company in the 3PL market in a matter of just six weeks. Throughout the pandemic, REDX delivered more than 50% of all e-commerce deliveries in Bangladesh, earning the trust of online merchants through consistent quality service. Currently, REDX boasts the largest logistics network in the country, with 495 Upazilas and 250+ delivery points across all 64 districts.
With its robust rider base of over 3,000 and spanning over 1,200 areas directly, REDX ensures delivery within 24 hours in Dhaka metropolitan and within 48 hours in other districts. It has regional hubs in 4 key locations across the country and one central mother hub, allowing operations to become decentralised. Starting from 20 hubs, the number has increased to 120 and helps reduce the time to deliver parcels.
A true testament to how REDX delivers on its promise to go the distance is echoed by its merchant partners. One of REDX’s valuable merchant partners is Mounata from the H2O clothing brand. Mounata has trusted REDX as her business’s logistics partner since 2021. She reminisced how her online f-commerce business was not able to sustain itself without the logistics support that REDX ensured. Finding a reliable delivery partner was difficult for her until she found REDX. REDX was the perfect fit as it enhanced the overall customer experience for her business. Mounata expressed her gratitude by saying, “We are grateful for the tremendous delivery support from REDX, they are a major part of our H2O family.”
REDX makes sure to go the distance to meet the requirements of its merchants. Regardless of how far or remote the location is, REDX uses its extensive network coverage to deliver its services. For example, Sandwip is a remote island located along the southeastern coast of Bangladesh, separated from the Chattogram district through the Sandwip Channel. Regular commute to Sandwip is difficult. And yet, REDX is the only doorstep delivery service that operates there, providing the logistics support necessary for merchants to send their parcels to their sanctioned owners. The company also delivers to other remote areas, such as St. Martin’s Island, Alikadam in Bandarban, Nikli Haor in Kishoreganj, etc.
With a brilliant team of engineers, REDX operates through a platform that has brought a revolutionary change in the market through state-of-the-art technology. Its innovative service offers the smoothest user experience and visibility throughout the entire delivery process, from parcel creation to delivery. It allows merchants to fully automate their businesses and also track their payment updates in real-time.
Moreover, REDX is helping facilitate the emerging e-commerce and f-commerce industry in Bangladesh. It is simultaneously creating new jobs and decentralising the marketplace while allowing small merchants to earn big. In 2021, the e-commerce market size was about Tk 56,870 Crore. It is anticipated to be around Tk 1.5 lakh Crore by 2026, according to Dublin-based trade research institution ResearchAndMarkets.com. Therefore, by 2041, the market size will be even bigger, and REDX promises to be at the forefront of this revolution.
The leading tech-first logistics company is playing a vital role in building Smart Bangladesh, by bringing an array of smart features and services to its repertoire. One crucial feature that REDX introduced into the local market was the same-day delivery service. REDX launched its same-day delivery service on 6th October 2021. This service ensured that customers get their valuable products delivered on the same day from the merchants. It also offered a partial delivery service, a unique way for merchants to offer their customers multiple options for a particular product, from which they could keep the one they preferred and return the rest. REDX also offers digital payment methods, and parcel tracking and a compensation policy are in place for any kind of lost or damaged goods.
Additionally, REDX believes that constant innovation is of utmost importance in the digital-first world. It is disrupting the traditional logistics market with its state-of-the-art services, paving the way for a smarter Bangladesh in the future. REDX is the first logistics company to introduce the consumer OTP feature in its platform, thereby ensuring the privacy and protection of its merchants and decreasing the likelihood of theft. REDX is the first logistics company to offer this feature in Bangladesh and this has now become a standard in the entire logistics industry.
REDX credits its frontline warriors for its phenomenal success. Hence, it goes all out to ensure the well-being of its riders. The REDX Rewards is an internal reward and recognition platform designed to uplift them. The riders are major contributors to the resounding success the organisation has achieved thus far. The country champions are rewarded with various prizes upon participating in year-long challenges. The first instalment of this initiative took place through a gala event on 2nd January 2021.
During the last REDX Rewards, REDX Jhenaidah hub rider Jahangir Alam was recognised as the Country Champion. He was awarded a motorbike for his outstanding performance throughout 2020. Jahangir was a college graduate who lost his job in a travel agency due to the onset of the pandemic. Moreover, times were tough as his wife was 8 months pregnant. He nearly lost hope until a junior of his was informed that REDX was hiring riders. Thus began his journey with REDX. Currently, he is a Senior Team Lead in the company.
REDX invests in developing the skill set of their frontliners so that they have the opportunity to grow and take ownership of more lucrative roles. The riders are thoroughly trained and are evaluated based on their performance. The high-performing riders are deployed to new roles within the organisation when vacancies are available, thereby improving their career prospects.
This year, freelance riders can also take part in the REDX Rewards challenges. Freelance riders are commission-based with flexible timings, a lot of whom are students working to fund their tuition and living expenses.
Outstanding efforts are bound to be recognised when you put in the hard yards. REDX was also recognised globally as it received an award from the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) for being the best logistics company in Bangladesh during the pandemic last year. This milestone is a testament to the organisation’s promise of going the distance and helping small businesses excel and expand.
Ensuring logistics services is a challenging issue, particularly in Bangladesh where location services like Google Maps frequently have trouble recognising specific locations. Hence, quality service is of utmost importance when providing last-mile delivery service. The good news is, REDX is doing just that to bridge the gap between the merchants and the customers by going the distance together.