Top 5 Shippeo Alternatives and Competitors

What is Shippeo?

Shippeo is a visibility platform that uses AI to provide insights and ETAs for shippers, carriers and logistics providers. It allows shippers to track the movement of a container over all forms of transportation in 75 countries and uses a proprietary machine-learning algorithm to predict disruptions so shippers can take steps to manage them. It also provides insights into the overall transportation operations for future planning. Further, it offers customized portal access and automated notifications to customers and other team members for optimized collaboration.

Shippeo Features

Shippeo uses artificial intelligence and automation to help shippers make their operations more efficient. Key features include Real-Time Multimodal Visibility; Machine Learning ETA Algorithm; Personalized Control Towers; Driver Mobile App; External Data Sharing; Smart Tracking Analyzer™, and more including:

Shippeo Shipper Visibility

Shippeo lets shippers know the real-time status, location and ETA for their shipments at a glance irrespective of the mode of transportation. A color-coded map further aids in the quick identification of at-risk deliveries. This control tower can be customized with filters and color-coded tags. Stakeholders who do not have access to the Shippeo platform can get links to the tracking information. The Shippeo Shipper Visibility platform also makes it easy for shippers to assign transportation orders to carriers and subcontractors.

Shippeo Customer Visibility

Shippeo provides a customizable customer portal for brands to offer B2B customers the B2C experience. Partners, stores and other clients may be provided access to a dedicated tracking portal with company branding where they can access information about shipment locations, ETAs, etc. The amount of information shared on each customer portal can be configured to control data access. Automated white-labeled notifications further let customers know ETAs and real-time delivery status.

Shippeo Data Insights

Shippeo analyses historic and current data to provide up-to-date insights on KPIs such as punctuality, transport volumes, delays and dwell times with reporting by carrier, driver, sites, etc. At the click of a button, this information can be exported and shared outside the Shippeo platform. User privileges for performance dashboards can be configured to maintain control over data access.

Top 5 Alternatives to Shippeo

Shippeo is a popular visibility platform but it may not have all the features you require. If you are looking for something different, here are the top 5 alternatives to Shippeo:

Alternative #1

BuyCo

BuyCo is a Container Shipping Platform designed to meet the visibility needs of large volume importers and exporters and give you control over your maritime supply chain. BuyCo connects shippers with all other stakeholders of the supply chain including partners, forwarders and 95% of carriers. This allows shippers to request, access and compare information on a single platform. Centralizing communication and document sharing reduces the margin of error and increases productivity.

BuyCo also helps shippers automate a variety of tasks ranging from shipment planning to vessel scheduling and carrier booking. It saves time, lets shippers optimize resources and ensures that operations are always executed on time and accurately.

Further, BuyCo offers real-time visibility over the entire operation. By gathering and analyzing container tracking data from multiple sources, it provides quick status updates and the most reliable ETAs/ETDs. This empowers shippers to give their customers realistic delivery schedules with minimal risk of delays. Lastly, BuyCo’s analytics and reporting provide in-depth visibility of various KPIs ranging from carrier performance to CO2 emissions to improve negotiation power, reduce costs and boost efficiency.

Alternative #2

FourKites

FourKites is a platform that offers real-time visibility as a shipment moves across the entire supply chain. It covers the time spent in the yard as well as in transit via road, rail, air or ocean routes.

In addition to visibility, FourKites acts as a digital hub for document management. Shippers, carriers and other stakeholders can request for, share documents and store documents centrally so that they can be accessed easily as and when required. It automates tasks such as appointment scheduling and provides email alerts to help shippers mitigate unnecessary fees and fines caused by disruptions along the way. FourKites also has a sustainability dashboard to track freight-related emissions.

Alternative #3

Project 44

Project 44 is a visibility platform with global, multimodal connectivity. It uses an API-first approach to connect shippers with carriers and 3PLs. Shippers can use Project 44’s machine learning ETA model to automate complex tasks such as searching for rates, booking, dispatching, etc. and manage documents centrally so that everyone has access to the latest documents. Once containers are on the move, their movement can be tracked through the entire journey by ocean, road, rail and air. Project 44 also extends visibility to time spent in yards, ports and terminals.

Alternative #4

Portcast

Portcast is a route-based SaaS platform that offers real-time predictive visibility and demand forecasting for airlines and shipping lines. It gives shippers access to information about container status and location along ocean shipping routes from the time it leaves the port of loading till when it reaches the final port of discharge. In addition, it automates container track and trace with machine learning to provide early warning notifications in the case of disruptions and qualitative reasons for the same. Portcast also takes external factors into account and forecasts demand for cargo flow at a granular level up to 3 months in advance.

Portcast also looks into external factors such as economic patterns, seasonalities, market capacity, holidays, customer no-shows, etc., to make accurate demand forecasts for up to 3 months in advance. This empowers you to take advantage of dynamic pricing and improve capacity utilization. The Portcast APIs make it easy to integrate with existing systems.

Alternative #5

Wakeo

Wakeo is a SaaS platform that offers real-time visibility on B2B container movement. It allows shippers to trace and track shipments while they are traveling over the ocean as well as road, rail and air routes. Wakeo can be seamlessly connected to existing ERP or TMS systems. With the help of machine learning and advanced algorithms, it predicts carrier ETAs and alerts shippers to potential disruptions. All transportation-related documents can be stored centrally and users can be granted selective access. Wakeo also gathers data and provides insights that can prove helpful while negotiating contracts and making operations more streamlined.

Things to Consider when selecting your Ocean TMS

Rather than search for schedules, timelines, rates, etc. on individual carrier websites, shippers need to have a central platform where they can easily access and compare information for multiple carriers. In addition, they need reliable, unbiased data on carrier performance in the past, ETAs/ETDs, routes, etc. This is where an Ocean Transportation Management System (TMS) comes in. Choosing the right Ocean TMS is critical to managing operations smoothly. Here are a few key points to keep in mind:

Visibility Alone Is Not Enough, You Need Control

Knowing where your shipment is at any given point of time is necessary but isn’t sufficient for smooth operations. You need to know the risk of disruptions along any given route, the carrier’s history of making on-time deliveries, etc. Along with this information, you need to have control over the operations so you can react accordingly. Hence, look for an Ocean TMS that gives you visibility and the ability to make quick changes. For example, if you know that a carrier is getting held up at some point, you should be able to prepare an alternative route and make swift changes.

You also need to have reliable ETAs so you can plan accordingly and give your customers delivery dates. For example, when you’re selecting carriers and routes, BuyCo gives you ETAs for carriers as well as information about the average number of days a carrier on the selected line is usually late by. This helps you avoid delays altogether and give your customers delivery dates that you can stand by.

Automation

Many of the tasks that take up a shipper’s time and energy are repetitive tasks that don’t really need his or her expertise. It would be much more efficient to automate such tasks. This is possible with the right Ocean TMS. Automation not only saves time but also increases productivity, minimizes the risk of error and lowers operational costs. Hence, when you’re choosing an Ocean TMS, look for automation features. For example, BuyCo lets shippers automate tasks such as searching for shipping schedules, making booking requests, shipment planning, etc. 

Collaboration

Irrespective of whether you’re shipping one container or several, there is a lot of documentation that accompanies every move. Merely digitizing the documents and moving from a physical exchange to emails is not enough. Email inboxes typically have countless emails and keeping track of documents can be chaotic. To add to the confusion, a document may undergo revisions and it is easy to mistake an older version of the document for the most recent. Again, having the right Ocean TMS can help eliminate the confusion and optimize your operations. Look for an Ocean TMS that brings all the members of the supply chain onto a single platform and centralizes all communication and document management.

For example, shippers can request for and share documents on BuyCo and automate document workflows so everyone has access to necessary information.

Decarbonization

Along with costs and timelines, shippers are now beginning to pay attention to details such as which carriers have the least carbon emissions. Focusing on decarbonization is important for organizations as it improves their brand image and makes them appear socially responsible. After all, the effects of global warming are clearly visible today and everyone wants to do their part in taking care of the planet. The chance of EU regulations increasing taxes according to CO2 emissions makes the need for sustainable choices even more important. Your Ocean TMS should thus be able to give you information that can help measure and reduce CO2 emissions.