Federal Express Corporation, the world’s largest express transportation company, has enhanced its FedEx® Delivery Manager International (FDMi) e-commerce solution with delivery notifications on WhatsApp, available in both English and Arabic, for package recipients in Saudi Arabia.
FDMi is an interactive e-commerce delivery solution that provides customizable delivery options and alerts. E-tailers using the solution can offer their customers the ability to choose the timing and location of their deliveries to fit their schedule – and change the delivery address when the shipment is in transit – giving them extra flexibility at no extra cost.
“The FDMi service enhancement facilitates interactive communication for package recipients, providing them with updates from pickup to delivery. This enhancement underscores our continuous efforts to streamline and simplify the last-mile delivery process, ensuring convenience for consumers, said Abdulrahman Al-Mubarak, managing director of FedEx Middle East operations.”
Recipients expecting inbound deliveries receive a WhatsApp notification from FedEx upon shipment pickup. FedEx uses a META-verified WhatsApp business account which helps recipients mitigate online risks, such as WhatsApp scams perpetrated using the FedEx brand. Recipients can message and chat with FedEx directly in the language of their choice, as well as access tracking status and re-direct options with the click of a button directly in the WhatsApp chat window.
The integration of WhatsApp into FDMi offers considerable benefits to all participants in the e-commerce ecosystem. In an increasingly competitive online marketplace, FDMi helps e-tailers, especially SMEs, provide a differentiated service offer. Customers get more peace of mind through the traceability of their package on their mobile devices, as well as an enhanced online shopping experience. It also helps FedEx minimize delivery attempts to recipients who may not be present at the registered delivery address.
The WhatsApp instant messaging social media platform has more than 2 billion active monthly users globally, with over 22 million users in the Kingdom[1], making it one of the most popular communication apps in the country. The integration of WhatsApp into FDMi enhances its practicality as a solution for e-tailers to offer to their shoppers.