FedEx Express is enhancing its services with delivery notifications and personalised options now available on WhatsApp. The integration of one of the world’s most popular instant messaging apps into the FedEx Delivery Manager International (FDMi) e-commerce solution is being launched in nine markets in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region – Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
FDMi is an interactive e-commerce delivery solution that provides customizable delivery options and alerts. E-tailers using the solution can offer their residential customers the ability to pick the timing and location of their deliveries to fit their schedule – and change the delivery address when the shipment is in transit – giving them extra flexibility at no extra cost.
The WhatsApp instant messaging social media platform has 2 billion active monthly users globally. Over 80% of the population over the age of 16 in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the UAE use it, making it the most favoured social media platform in each market. In Australia and New Zealand, the WhatsApp platform is used by around 40% of the population and by more than one in four Filipinos.1 With such high penetration in each market, the integration of WhatsApp into FDMi makes it a much more effective solution for e-tailers to offer to their shoppers.
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Recipients expecting inbound deliveries receive a WhatsApp notification from FedEx upon shipment pickup. FedEx uses a META verified WhatsApp business account which helps mitigate the rick of recipients responding to scams perpretrated on WhatsApp using the FedEx brand. Recipients can message and chat with FedEx directly as well as access tracking status and re-direct options with the click of a button directly in the WhatsApp chat window.
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“We know that consumers have an increasing preference for personalized delivery services.2 Integrating social platforms of choice like WhatsApp into our digital solutions gives an added boost to the convenience we can offer to e-commerce customers,” Salil Chari, senior vice president, marketing and customer experience, AMEA, said. “This service enhancement that allows two-way engagement is another example of how we are working at the intersection of our digital and physical networks to create differentiated, customer-centric service experiences.”
The integration of WhatsApp into FDMi is a win-win for all participants in the e-commerce ecosystem. In an increasingly competitive online marketplace, FDMi helps e-tailers, especially SMEs, provide a differentiated service offer. Customers get more peace of mind through the traceability of their package on their mobile device as well as an enhanced online shopping experience. It also helps FedEx minimize delivery attempts to recipients who may not be at home.
