If you’re looking to stock warehouses worldwide with your products, scale your business, or reach customers in different regions, a freight forwarding company is often a must.
Freight forwarders like Ship4wd work with trusted carriers and partners worldwide to ensure you can quickly, conveniently, and securely transport cargo to different regions.
Freight forwarders don’t just help organizations access transportation services; they also deliver a host of important benefits. They can help with supply chain compliance, give you access to reduced shipping costs, and even assist your brand with customs management.
In this review, we’ll look at how Ship4wd, a digital freight forwarding company, delivers services designed to empower and support SMBs (small-to-midsize businesses) worldwide.
We’ll review the benefits, features, and potential costs of this comprehensive solution, and show why we believe it to be a great option for international shipping.
What is Ship4wd? An Introduction
Ship4wd is a digital freight forwarding company. This means unlike traditional freight forwarding vendors, Ship4wd leverages technology to streamline and enhance various aspects of the logistics of shipping.
The company is relatively new to the freight forwarding space, launching in 2021. However, it was created by ZIM, a market leader in global shipping with more than 76 years of experience.
Rather than having to deal with endless manual processes related to filling out documentation, tracking orders, and communicating with suppliers, you can automate a host of tasks on Ship4wd’s online platform.
Ship4wd has a global network of shipping partners, offering FCL (Full-Container Load) and LCL (Less-than-Container Load) shipment options. It also offers a range of freight forwarding services, from air and ocean shipments to door-to-door delivery solutions.
Who is Ship4wd For?
Ship4wd is designed specifically for SMBs. The company specializes in working with small-to-midsize companies to help them access automation tools, global freight options, and affordable shipping rates.
Access to affordable rates is particularly crucial for SMBs, who often get relegated to more expensive packages than larger companies due to low-volume shipments.
In terms of shipping transportation options, Ship4wd can serve international companies and e-commerce brands thanks to its air, land, and ocean freight services.
If your small or midsize business wants to streamline and simplify their logistics processes, Ship4wd is the platform for you. It minimizes manual tasks, automates a range of shipping processes, and helps to track orders and information in one centralized location.
Ship4wd Review: The Digital Freight Forwarding Platform
At the heart of Ship4wd’s solution for SMBs is the company’s digital freight forwarding platform. This is an all-in-one environment where businesses can manage their shipments, book deliveries, select transportation modes and routes, and access real-time quotes.
Having all of this information in one place is extremely useful, as it means you don’t have to jump back and forth between different apps and tools when managing your shipping strategy.
Once you create an account, you’ll have complete access to the company’s global carrier network, with options for sea, land, air, and rail transport. You’ll also be able to manage your logistics process quickly and conveniently via a desktop or mobile app.
Here are some of the core components of the platform:
Shipment Management
Under the “My Shipments” tab, you can rapidly access quotes for all of your shipping needs and decide how you’re going to transport goods with just a couple of clicks. You’ll have full control over your imports and exports, choosing between FCL, LCL, and air cargo transportation.
Ship4wd enables you to choose between selecting your preferred transportation method yourself or receiving intelligent recommendations from the platform as to how to ship your products most efficiently and affordably.
Ship4wd also allows you to track all of your shipments in real-time. You can see exactly where your orders are in the supply chain, and information is synced to the cloud-based platform. You can also receive instant notifications to your app or email inbox.
This is extremely useful if you want to give your customers or warehouse managers updates on when they can expect to receive orders. Delays, and lack of transparency about them, can cause significant problems for companies of all sizes, harming their relationships with partners and customers.
Instant Quotes Search
As soon as you launch your account with Ship4wd, you can start searching for quotes from the company’s global network of carrier partners. Ship4wd’s network includes partners from across Asia, Israel, the United States, and Canada.
All you need to do to start generating quotes is enter a few details, such as your cargo’s origin, the destination you want to ship to, and your desired departure date.
You’ll also need to include a few details about your cargo, such as what kind of containers you need to use and whether your products might be considered hazardous or flammable.
After you enter all the details, Ship4wd will deliver a list of real-time quotes to choose from. This means you can ensure you get up-to-date pricing details from each carrier. Once you select your preferred carrier, you’ll receive a booking confirmation within 24 hours.
Payments and Order Tracking
Paperwork is a common headache for any company leveraging freight forwarding solutions. While traditional freight forwarding partners rely heavily on manual processes for creating documents and tracking payments, Ship4wd takes a different approach.
You can access a complete history of all of your orders and transactions on the Ship4wd platform, complete with in-depth information on which carrier you used and how much each shipment cost.
This is ideal for managing your cash flow and maintaining compliance with auditing standards.
Since all your logistics information is stored in the same location, you can save valuable time by accessing it immediately instead of having to collect it from different sources.
Specialist Services
Alongside their comprehensive platform, Ship4wd also offers a variety of unique services, ranging from dedicated business funding to guaranteed container allocation.
Comprehensive Shipping and Customs Management
Ship4wd is a partner for SMBs, assisting with various components of the logistics process. The company can offer cargo insurance and customs clearance support.
They can also help companies to complete essential documents for shipping purposes and offer step-by-step guidance when needed.
Depending on your requirements, Ship4wd can offer door-to-door and port-to-port shipping options. Door-to-door services, for instance, save companies the time of hiring a different service to move cargo from a destination port to a warehouse.
Guaranteed Container Allocation
One thing that sets Ship4wd apart from other digital freight forwarders is their commitment to advocating for SMBs. They can offer preferred pricing options to SMBs, usually reserved for larger companies, thanks to their relationships with global carriers.
They also claim to be able to guarantee container allocation, which is something most organizations can’t offer to smaller companies.
Because Ship4wd offers LCL shipping, it doesn’t have to delay the transportation of products until a container is filled, as is the case with many other freight forwarders.
Credit Lines and Financing Options
The Ship4wd digital freight forwarding platform also includes a “credit line” section, where companies can apply for various flexible forms of financial support. Companies can apply for credit lines of up to $10,000 if they need extra funding for a crucial shipment.
There’s also the option to request flexible repayment terms for up to 90 days. This is very useful for SMBs who often have limited cashflow. Plus, you can manage all your payments online, with a secure checkout built into the Ship4wd platform. This means you don’t have to worry about managing external transactions.
Of course, you will need to adhere to some requirements to be approved for Ship4wd’s financial support services. For instance, you need to have a monthly balance of over $5,000, and you’ll need to have a business bank account to connect with the platform.
Ship4wd Pricing: How Much Does it Cost?
Ship4wd, with its focus on SMBs, strives to make its service as affordable as possible. You don’t need to pay anything to sign up for an account with the freight forwarding platform. There are no monthly fees to pay for a subscription and no hidden costs for customer service.
The fees you pay for shipping your cargo with Ship4wd’s partners will vary depending on a range of factors. Ocean, rail, and road-based transportation options are often a little cheaper than air freight.
Additionally, less-than-container load shipping is more affordable if you’re only shipping small volumes of products.
Each carrier sets its own pricing, but Ship4wd works with its partners to negotiate preferred rates. This means the price of shipping through the platform will generally be a lot cheaper than trying to work with a carrier directly.
Shipping costs can also vary depending on:
- Origin and destination locations
- Routes chosen for shipping
- Products and container requirements
- Speed of delivery (such as priority shipping)
Notably, shipping costs can also change over time based on global and economic factors. Fortunately, Ship4wd does ensure you can track real-time shipping rates, so you’ll always have a clear view of what you can expect to pay for any shipment.
Customer Support
One of the most significant ways Ship4wd differentiates itself from other digital freight forwarding vendors is its approach to customer service. Where other companies have begun relying more heavily on self-service solutions like chatbots and virtual assistants, Ship4wd is dedicated to providing bespoke, 24/7 human support.
The company promises to deliver comprehensive guidance and expertise to every company it works with. This is something that’s usually only available to larger companies.
If you ever need assistance, you can reach out to the 24/7 support team via the chat button on the Ship4wd website or your digital freight forwarding dashboard.
The company is also available through email and phone contact every day. This includes weekends, holidays, and off-hours. The customer support team can help you search for the right quote, book a shipment, or prepare documentation for your shipping needs.
The company is also extremely responsive, promising fast answers to any questions you might have. If you do want to seek out answers to issues yourself, Ship4wd also has plenty of useful resources you can access, such as an FAQ page, a blog, and a glossary.
There’s also a “customer stories” section within the Ship4wd resource center, where you can find insight into the journeys of other brands.
Ship4wd Review: The Pros and Cons
All freight forwarding companies have their pros and cons to consider. Here are the main benefits and disadvantages of the Ship4wd solution.
Pros:
- Simple and streamlined freight forwarding process managed through a digital platform
- Real-time pricing and quotes to help you compare shipping methods and carriers
- End-to-end support for managing imports, exports, and logistics issues
- Help with customs management, cargo insurance, and door-to-door shipping
- Support for land, air, and ocean freight options, as well as LCL and FCL shipping
- Quick and responsive 24/7 customer service from a human team
- Discount shipping rates with a range of global partners
- Real-time order tracking shipment updates and notifications
- Financing in the form of credit lines and buy-now-pay-later options
- A robust global delivery network for rapid international shipping
Cons:
- Shipping costs can vary depending on a range of factors
- SMB focus may not suit the needs of larger enterprises.
- Approval for financing can take a while
Ship4wd review: The Verdict
Ship4wd is a convenient, easy-to-use, and reliable solution for digital freight forwarding. The company helps SMBs from various industries simplify and streamline their freight processes with access to a global network of reliable carriers.
With Ship4wd, you can leverage air, land, and ocean freight options, choose between LCL and FCL shipment methods, and constantly track down the best deals and prices for your shipments. Plus, the easy-to-use digital platform comes with valuable tools, from real-time order tracking to simple order bookings and instant notifications.
Ship4wd’s commitment to delivering exceptional customer service ensures businesses can always access the human guidance they need through any channel they choose.
Plus, the company is extremely flexible, offering a range of value-added services for every business need. Whether you’re looking for assistance with customs, door-to-door shipping, or financing, Ship4wd can help.
Ship4wd’s shipping costs may vary depending on your desired route, speed, and what you are shipping. However, you will probably still save money, especially compared to working directly with carriers.
If you are an SMB looking to streamline and simplify your logistics journey, we believe Ship4wd to be an excellent option.
