At the start of the health crisis, many professionals wanted to get into e-commerce. Today, despite the reopening of physical stores, online sales and click & collect have established themselves in many brands. However, this trend is often hampered by the lack of turnkey tools for taking orders and sending them.
It is to this second problem that Sendcloud, a platform dedicated to the shipment of goods, responds.
Rapid growth during the pandemic
“Sendcloud celebrates its 10th anniversary this year,” says Céline Lopes, Team Lead Customer Success with the Dutch platform. “We launched our offers in France in 2017 and have since experienced tremendous growth, especially in the last two years. »
The principle of the solution is simple: it connects to e-commerce solutions, such as PrestaShop or Shopify, and makes it possible to automatically import the sales made. The integration is carried out through a plugin offered on the webstores of the two CMS. The user can then create shipping labels by calling on one of Sendcloud’s partners (including La Poste, Mondial Relay, Colis Privé, Chronopost, DHL, UPS, etc.).
“The particularity of our platform is that it allows you to bring together all the shipments: those coming from your e-commerce site, but also those made on sites like Amazon, Cdiscount or eBay. »
Small shops versus big brands
The other particularity of Sendcloud is to offer an advanced customer experience, with the possibility for the latter to track packages and ensure their return (according to the policy applied by the merchant in this area).
Finally, Sendcloud offers rates negotiated with carriers, which will allow small merchants to better fight against large brands, which are able to negotiate their delivery rates directly with operators.
Everything is offered by subscription, with a free offer reserved for professionals sending less than 100 parcels per month.
E-commerce: a market in the process of falling?
During the first confinement, professionals wondered how to react. Online sales and click & collect then appeared as viable alternatives to physical stores.
“We have seen enormous growth in e-commerce in Europe, especially in countries where it was not yet very present, such as Spain,” says Céline Lopes.
“In France, orders have more than doubled in certain sectors such as decoration or jewellery, in connection with the rise of teleworking… and the desire to have fun during this difficult period. »
Expand in Europe and the United States
With the reopening of shops, then the onset of the economic crisis, online sales figures are down sharply. “We do note a downward trend in e-commerce, but that does not prevent new entrants from embarking on the adventure”, analyzes our interlocutor.
At the end of 2021, Sendcloud raised 150 million euros in funding. The company wants to strengthen its presence in Europe, expand its range of products and carriers, but also target large accounts, and even – in the longer term – the B to B market, and even launch in the United States.
In the near future, Sendcloud will be present at Paris Retail Week, from September 20 to 22, 2022.