We worked with an innovative logistics start up operating in Southern Africa to build a platform that integrated the fragmented, inefficient ecosystem in the region.
The logistical ecosystem in Southern Africa is highly fragmented, with transporters unable to find loads, and cargo owners unable to find a transporter available to move goods. The result is a highly inefficient system with huge numbers of empty trucks driving up market prices.
The challenge
We worked with a Zambia-based logistics company called Nyamula to develop a comprehensive marketplace platform that connects cargo owners and transporters, while simultaneously providing seamless job management and visibility. Nyamula is using this marketplace platform not only to provide structure to a fragmented ecosystem, but also to change the way that people think about logistics through the development of a new technologically-enabled industry standard.
The solution
Publication of available loads to transporters via a job board
Loads are published on the platform's job board, where transporters are able to filter loads, see load details, request more information, and book the job.
Data analysis and business intelligence
We designed a business intelligence dashboard to analyse large amounts of platform data, enabling Nyamula to gain insights, improve decision making, and showcase growth to investors.
Core features
Registration of transporters and cargo owners
Transporters can register and add information about their business, trucks, trailers, and drivers - all of which needs to be approved by the Nyamula team to maintain quality control. Cargo owners can sign up to the platform and submit load requests that are actioned by the Nyamula team.
Transporter-facing job board
Loads are published on the platform's job board, where transporters are able to filter loads, see load details, request more information, and book the job.
Internal data analysis and business intelligence dashboard
We designed a business intelligence dashboard to analyse large amounts of platform data, enabling Nyamula to gain key market insights, improve decision making, and showcase growth to investors.
Our approach
During our extensive strategic scoping with Nyamula, we gained three important insights.
First, Nyamula was looking to gain traction in the market to support fundraising, meaning they needed to quickly deploy a solution to show proof of concept. This solution needed to be cost-effective given a limited, pre-investment budget.
Secondly, the logistical ecosystem in Southern Africa is underdeveloped with many unknowns, and therefore, a highly iterative and adaptable solution was needed.
Finally, logistics management systems are highly complex, and Nyamula wanted to de-risk the long term project by creating a blueprint of the solution before committing limited resources to a traditional software development process.
As a result of these insights, we decided to use a combination of Bubble.io for the web and mobile client interfaces andAirtable for the database and admin management panel. This allowed for an extremely powerful, highly iterative, low cost solution with good visibility into data. It also allowed us to rapidly iterate on the model as Nyamula gained important consumer feedback and insights.
Registration of transporters and cargo owners
Transporters can register, and add information about their business, trucks, trailers and drivers - all of which needs to be approved by the Nyamula team to maintain quality control. Cargo owners can sign up to the platform and submit load requests that are actioned by the Nyamula team.
