In a move to accelerate its digital transformation and expand its reach in the global air cargo market, Eastern Air Logistics has chosen cargo.one as its digital distribution partner. The partnership aims to leverage cargo.one’s expertise and advanced platform to streamline the digital sales process, offering freight forwarders seamless access to capacity on Eastern Air Logistics flights.

“These are our first steps into digital sales which makes partnering with the most globally relevant and experienced channel all the more important,” Jonathan Xu, General Manager of Logistics Solutions Business Department at Eastern Air Logistics, said.

Chinese carriers have been making strides in digitizing their sales processes, and Eastern Air Logistics stands at the forefront of this transformation. Cargo.one, known for connecting global air cargo and providing innovative digital solutions, recognizes the potential in partnering with a major cargo carrier in and out of China.

“At cargo.one, our goal has always been to connect global air cargo. Over the past years, we have partnered with more than 5000 forwarding branches and over 40 airlines, to make this vision come true,” Moritz Claussen, Founder and Co-CEO of cargo.one, added.

The collaboration is rooted in mutual admiration, as Eastern Air Logistics acknowledged cargo.one’s track record and a global network of more than 15,000 forwarders. Meanwhile, cargo.one was impressed by Eastern Air Logistics’ commitment to digital excellence and its ambition to become the most innovative integrated logistics service provider.

“Based on our own digital blueprint, cargo.one stood out as an established, best in class and intuitive digital sales partner,” Xu stated. “With over 40 airline partners onboard already, it was clear that we would benefit from the strength of cargo.one’s insights, its proactive partnership support and access to its valuable best practices for digital sales.”

“China is one of the single most significant air cargo markets – naturally, partnering with major cargo carriers in and out of China, such as with Eastern Air Logistics, is yet another significant step towards a digital future,” Claussen continued.

READ: cargo.one announces landmark partnership with Eastern Air Logistics

Smooth integration 

Since the inception of the partnership, both companies have worked closely to ensure a smooth and successful integration of their digital sales platforms. Eastern Air Logistics’ digital sales platform, EOS, laid the foundation for the collaboration, enhancing the carrier’s capabilities for digital sales. The collaboration with cargo.one has allowed Eastern Air Logistics to offer high-quality services and optimize the digital buying journey for customers worldwide.

“We’ve enjoyed a very close collaboration with cargo.one over the past months,” Xu explained. “Our teams work closely to ensure that we are delivering the right offer quality, and we are building the best digital buying journeys optimized for customers around the world.”

“Some freight forwarders in the West may still believe that digital booking of Chinese capacity new to them could require heavy lifting with administration and systems,” Claussen added. “It is important that they revisit this opportunity, because cargo.one is a clear example of how easy and efficient digital booking now is for a great many shipments involving China.”

With digital sales becoming a strong pillar of Eastern Air Logistics’ overall digital transformation, the carrier aspires to expand its digital reach rapidly and cater to a diverse range of online customer needs. Leveraging cargo.one’s insights and best practices, Eastern Air Logistics aims to identify untapped market opportunities and elevate its revenue and capacity management strategies.

“Digital sales is giving us exciting new opportunities to evolve and expand as a logistics brand globally – cargo.one is now an integral part of ensuring that we remain front of mind with forwarders in all the most relevant markets,” Xu stated.

Exploring options 

Freight forwarders in China are increasingly exploring digital booking options, with cargo.one pro proving to be a particularly attractive proposition. This seamless and efficient digital booking process opens doors to a vast global network of forwarding companies in 90 countries, empowering Chinese agents to expand their business and reach new markets.

Asia’s carriers, including Eastern Air Logistics, have been making significant strides in embracing digital sales. While Asia was initially slower in adopting digital air cargo booking compared to Europe and North America, East Asia is now rapidly closing the learning gaps and experiencing remarkable growth. This trend has positioned the Asia Pacific region as the fastest-growing market for cargo.one globally.

Looking ahead, Eastern Air Logistics and cargo.one anticipate substantial gains from their digital sales capabilities in the coming year. The collaboration promises increased awareness and convenience for customers, making Eastern Air Logistics a preferred choice among forwarders seeking efficient and transparent air transportation.

READ: TIACA and cargo.one drive digitalisation

Digital growth 

In addition to strengthening their partnership, both companies remain committed to bolstering the Chinese air cargo market’s growth through digitization. Digital booking, facilitated by cargo.one’s advanced technology and infrastructure, is expected to play a vital role in scaling the industry further in the region.

“Digital connections will provide increased awareness and convenience for customers. As a result, we expect to be discovered and preferred by many new agents, and so win share from other less accessible carriers,” Xu said.

cargo.one is reaffirming its focus on the Asia Pacific region, fortifying its commitment to providing maximum digitalization benefits for customers and partners. Working closely with major Chinese carriers like Eastern Air Logistics is set to accelerate the development and implementation of cutting-edge digital solutions.

“Currently, Asia Pacific is our highest growth customer market. The depth and diversity of our supply, and a product that forwarders in all markets love to use has provided Chinese agents with a great opportunity to thrive with digital bookings,” Claussen highlighted.

“We believe air transportation digitization will open up new opportunities for growth and more possibilities. Also, we are willing to explore more opportunities in the broader market with a positive attitude,” Xu continued.

For freight forwarders in markets like North America and Europe, the partnership between Eastern Air Logistics and cargo.one opens new opportunities to explore Chinese airlines’ capacity. The ease and efficiency of digital booking with cargo.one dispels misconceptions about administrative burdens, providing seamless access to capacity within China.

“In particular, digital agent-to-agent bookings with cargo.one pro are proving a very attractive proposition for forwarders in Asia to win new business around the clock,” Claussen said. “For example, Chinese agents are keen to expand their business within our global community of forwarding companies in 90 countries, with importers in Europe and USA of particular interest.”