Aramex buys same day e-commerce delivery firm in Australia
Global express logistics firm Aramex has acquired a same-day delivery company in Australia with the intention of applying its technology to other e-commerce markets around the world. Mail Call Couriers specialises in rapid delivery of e-commerce items through a “WantItNow” service that offers delivery in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne within three hours, or during the evening.
The company’s service includes a count-down system that Aramex wants to use in other key e-commerce markets.
Aramex said the acquisition was part of its “aggressive” expansion in global growth markets. Australia is now the fourth largest e-commerce market in the Asia Pacific, it said, offering “significant” opportunities for the Jordan-based company to expand across the region.
Cremorne-based Mail Call was a family business founded in 1982, with Aramex describing the firm as having a “strong brand” and a “very strong track record”.
Hussein Hachem, the Aramex chief executive, said the acquisition was an “excellent strategic” fit.
“We will be taking Mail Call Courier’s specialized ‘WantItNow’ technology and applying it to our other ecommerce markets across the globe. This deal also offers some exciting opportunities to further develop and grow our global e-commerce proposition across the Asia Pacific region,” said Hachem.
“We intend to offer Shop and Ship to our Australian customers, enabling them to shop from the US, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. We will be looking to make a significant contribution to the development of Australia’s e-commerce sector, drive innovation in the industry and help open up its markets to increased cross-border e-commerce.”
Aramex CEO Hussein Hachem with Mail Call Couriers joint MD Emma Cronin (front row) are joined by Aramex Asia CEO Othman Aljeda and Mail Call Couriers joint MD Fiona Pearse to sign the deal
Cross-border potential
Aramex said Australia’s e-commerce market grew from $30bn in 2011 to more than $37bn in 2013, but the company’s interest is also in the high level of cross-border shopping in which Australian consumers are involved.
The company said only 53% of Australian online consumers buy from Australian retailers, and are increasingly sourcing products from the wider Asia Pacific region.
Aramex said it intends to connect Australian e-commerce consumers to more global retailers following the acquisition.
Mail Call Couriers offers both ad hoc deliveries and scheduled deliveries, operating seven days a week, every day of the year, and claiming more than 7,000 active clients.
The firm states that it has a fleet of more than 350 couriers, including one of the largest courier fleets in Sydney. The company’s “Smart Courier System” has been developed over the past eight years using a “predictive” despatch system to automatically allocate deliveries for best delivery times, using driver location data along with information about current jobs, along with historic data of previous travel times, to determine best couriers for each delivery.
The system’s GPS and barcode scanning technology, using Intermec hand-held scanning equipment, allows for real-time tracking. The company also provides email or text message notification for delivery to shippers and/or recipients.
Mail Call Couriers said following its takeover, its customers would benefit from the Aramex global network and international expertise while continuing to use its personalised, tailored services.
Emma Cronin, the joint managing director of the firm, said: “We are very proud of the business we founded and have built up over 32 years. The investment we have made in the company through our technology-driven solutions and our premium service proposition, particularly in the e-commerce space in recent years, has resulted in significant competitive differentiation for our business and brand.”
