Bookit is a pioneering mobile technology company that has developed and patented a number of solutions for easy to use mobile communications since the early 2000’s. Many Finnish and international companies have integrated Bookit’s technology into their own services.
"With eCommerce Logistics Services, we've already managed to reduce our customer's e-commerce distribution costs by 20-30%. This has been achieved through route optimization and improved customer communication with messaging services to ensure the customer is at home for receiving delivery," says Peter Klenberg, CEO of BookIT Finland Oy.
Smart Delivery Network for Urban Areas
The next step is to scale these outcomes globally. Under the leadership of Bookit, Italian technology partners, FiatChrysler and Fondazione Bruno Kessler FBK, supported by funding from EIT Digital, will together develop a solution to automate and streamline the end-to-end logistics chains to an unprecedented level. The group foresees that this will not only reduce delivery costs, it will also reduce wasted vehicle miles, cut carbon emissions, and deliver a significantly better experience for the end consumer.
"OUR TARGET IS TO CREATE A SERVICE PLATFORM, WHERE CUSTOMERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CAN BUILD A LOCAL INTELLIGENT DISTRIBUTION NETWORK."
Bookit is the business champion in the EIT Digital innovation activity “Smart Delivery Network for Urban Areas (SDN)”, which will be started in January 2019. This R&D investment is very important to Bookit and is a new step in the internationalization of the Bookit.
"The objective is to commercialize technology by integrating partners' innovations together and launch a platform for customers from around the world to build their own local intelligent distribution networks," explains Akif Ali, COO of BookIT Finland Oy, who is also leading the SDN project.
The project also takes into account the environmental friendliness of distribution technology. "Vans are operated with gas or electricity and they form an interconnected artificial intelligence network based on geolocation data. The system includes real-time data collection and communication between Bookit’s service platform and delivery vans regarding bottlenecks in traffic flow. This information is used for real-time route optimization, " Ali adds.
"Bookit is investing heavily in next-generation distribution solutions, including, among other things, co-operation with Smart Mile Solutions B.V., where the goal is to create an Open Parcel Pickup Network," Klenberg explains.
As the online sales grow, the importance of streamlining product returns is also increasing. "We are also developing new solutions for this area," revealed Ali and Klenberg.