Locus Launches Delivery Linked Checkout, A First-Of-Its-Kind Integrated Capability Enabling Retail Businesses to Achieve Profitability in Last-Mile Logistics

Latest addition to the company’s Dispatch Management Platform allows businesses to offer a range of choices in delivery speeds & channels to their customers

Locus, a leading-edge technology company solving for excellence in last-mile logistics, today announced the launch of Delivery Linked Checkout (DLC), a first-of-its-kind integrated capability that enables retail businesses to achieve profitability in their last-mile logistics. By deploying this new feature, retailers can deliver orders on customer-preferred timelines while maintaining optimal capacity and service efficiencies.



The surge in e-commerce deliveries, coupled with the heightened customer expectations for more efficient and predictable delivery options, has added yet another layer to last-mile complexities. Locus’ Delivery Linked Checkout feature is a strategic enhancement to its Dispatch Management Platform specifically designed to help retailers unlock new fulfillment capabilities and meet increasing demands quickly. Its key features include:

1. Optimizing deliveries via capacity-led slot bookings: The feature accounts for available capacity, logistics costs, and business constraints, identifying and offering only the available slots upon checkout for end-consumers. This powers first-attempt and on-time delivery rates
2. Multiple delivery window options: By providing a wide range of preferred delivery options across 10-minute, express, 2-hour, same-day, or next-day fulfillment, retailers can satisfy customer expectations and capture a broader set of shopper segments. The feature also incentivizes customer loyalty by unlocking preferred delivery windows for high-value customers.
3. Customer-friendly post-fulfillment journey: It allows customers to choose alternate dates and times for shipment delivery even after order dispatch. It also enables them to cancel an order via the tracking page, resulting in a positive customer experience
4. Route optimization: The feature creates precise delivery schedules by factoring in customer availability, clustering deliveries, and reverse shipments from the same service areas to limit the instances of reattempts and failed deliveries; this helps offset carbon emissions, reduce empty miles, and ensure optimal load capacity. It also gives customers options to choose sustainable delivery time slots that facilitate more carbon-efficient route plans.

“A single bad delivery can completely make or break a consumer’s perception of a brand,” said Nishith Rastogi, Founder and CEO of Locus. “But everything from limited fulfillment capacity, to inefficient route planning, and disconnected systems managing Last-Mile operations continue to put retailers at risk of failed execution. To solidify fulfillment as an impactful point of differentiation, a driver of brand loyalty, and a growth enabler, retailers need to directly connect their logistics operations with the customer experience. Locus’ Delivery Linked Checkout, in combination with our Dispatch Management Platform, offers a unique proposition for retailers to secure profitability while enhancing customer satisfaction.”

Locus Granted Patent for Machine Learning Models To Accurately Predict Traffic Time for Better Last-mile Deliveries

This is the second patent that the company has secured in the year 2022

Locus, a leading-edge technology company solving for excellence in Last-Mile logistics, today announced that it has been awarded a patent for “Machine Learning Models for Predicting Time in Traffic,” the second patent awarded to the company in 2022.

Predictability of last-mile deliveries is a logistical challenge that continues to affect businesses across various sectors such as e-commerce, 3PLs, etc. Locus’ new patent will enable enterprises to achieve better precision in their last-mile deliveries by factoring in traffic patterns, which have historically been considered too dynamic to map. The patent covers unique technology that analyzes the historical data of traffic and predicts the travel time between origin and destination locations. It also factors in sub-variables such as day of the week and time of day to provide hyper-accurate estimated travel times for logistics providers to get ahead.

“To constantly add value to our growing customer base across 30+ geographies, we at Locus, are pushing our engineering boundaries each day,” said Geet Garg, Founder & CTO, Locus. “The latest patent highlights our relentless effort to bring out new levels of innovation in our product suite, enabling enterprises across industries to drive high-precision logistics operations in any geography, reduce costs and achieve business success.”

To foster a culture rooted in innovation, Locus rolled out a company-wide program in 2018 that empowers all employees to apply for patents and includes regular training sessions, end-to-end support for IPR filings, and much more. Through this initiative, Locus has secured four patents in the last four years, with additional filings already in the pipeline that – collectively – will continue to bring advancements in the company’s unique product suite to serve its customers better.

“Innovation lives within our DNA and we believe that every employee should have an equal opportunity to contribute to the next best idea,” said Nishith Rastogi, Founder & CEO of Locus. “Thus, with the goal to cultivate an environment of entrepreneurship and creativity, we introduced this policy to empower and support our team in their commitment to solving challenges of the last-mile logistics”.

About Locus

Locus is a leading-edge technology company solving one of the most challenging global supply chain problems: Last-Mile logistics. Locus' order-to-delivery dispatch management platform helps enterprises transform their Last-Mile logistics operations from cost centers to revenue generators through advanced optimization algorithms and intuitive workflow automation that equip businesses with the tools needed to maximize efficiency while delighting customers.

Founded in 2015 and backed by GIC Singapore, Tiger Global, Qualcomm Ventures, and Falcon Edge, Locus has helped a wide range of customers globally across industries – including Unilever, Nestle, Bukalapak, The Tata Group, BlueDart, and more – execute 650 million deliveries across 30+ countries across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, ANZ, and the Indian subcontinent. Its technology has also helped save $200 million in transit costs, offsetting 70 million kilograms in CO2 emissions while maintaining a 99.5% SLA adherence ratio.

B2B SaaS Firm Locus listed as a Sample Vendor in Gartner Hype Cycle for Transportation Industry, 2020

Locus, a global B2B SaaS company that automates human decisions in logistics, today announced its recognition in Gartner’s “Hype Cycle for Transportation Industry, 2020¹” as a Sample Vendor within the Last-Mile Delivery Solutions category. Gartner is a leading research and advisory company.

“These solutions are adaptations of traditional routing and scheduling, wherein a route could be replanned and a dispatcher would control the process. Many of these solutions use AI and machine learning to speed up the optimization process and predict occurrences and impacts based on real-time information,” said Gartner in the research report. 

The Locus platform uses deep machine learning and proprietary algorithms to offer smart logistics solutions like route optimization, real-time tracking, insights and analytics, beat optimization, efficient warehouse management, vehicle allocation and utilization. Locus also helps companies optimize their end-to-end supply chain network with its strategic consulting offering. 

Locus presently works with top clients across Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, and India. It has offices in the USA, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The top management of the company includes executives from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Barclays Capital, Google, and BlueDart (a DHL company), and data scientists with PhDs from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Illinois, among others.  

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made last-mile logistics all the more important. With increasing customer expectations, last-mile delivery technology will only become more critical for the success of companies, and in fact, will act as a key differentiator between brands,” said Nishith Rastogi, CEO, Locus. “We are really happy to be named as a Sample Vendor in Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Transportation Industry, 2020, and to see Last-Mile Delivery Solutions receive a ‘high’ benefit rating.” 

Locus was also recently identified as a Representative Vendor in the Gartner "Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling" report.²

The company has so far raised $29 million from tier-1 investors like Tiger Global, Falcon Edge, Blume Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners & growX ventures, among others. 

Gartner subscribers can log in to read the full research on the website.

¹Gartner, “Hype Cycle for Transportation Industry, 2020,” Ivar Berntz, Venecia Liu, Thierry Kuperman Le Bihan, Pedro Pacheco, 13 August 2020.

²Gartner, “Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling,” Oscar Sanchez Duran, Bart De Muynck, 23 June 2020. 

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Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Locus

Locus is a deep-tech platform that automates human decisions in the supply chain to provide efficiency, transparency, and consistency in logistics operations. The platform uses deep machine learning and proprietary algorithms to offer smart logistics solutions like route optimization, real-time tracking, insights, and analytics, beat optimization, efficient warehouse management, vehicle allocation, and utilization. Locus powers more than two million deliveries daily across Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Europe, and North America. 

Driver Seva Mobile App, A Lifeline for Drivers Stranded on Highways Due to the Lockdown

Locus, a global B2B SaaS company that automates human decisions in supply chain, has initiated the ‘Driver Seva mobile app’ project along with Highway Delite, a travel app startup, to do its bit in easing the situation for the truck drivers who are stuck on highways due to the lockdown. This project is supported by the Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd, in association with the All India Motor Transport Congress. Agarwal Packers and Movers Ltd (APML) is also a partner in this initiative.

The country-wide lockdown in India has had an impact across industries, but at the heart of it all is logistics and supply chain. Drivers, who are the lifeline of this industry, have been deeply affected right now. A sizable population of drivers have nowhere to go to and not many resources to survive with.

 



This app aims to help drivers in the current lockdown with information regarding food, water, and safe parking near their location, across the country.

“Highway Delite has added more than 400 BPCL Pumps (140 BPCL Company owned pumps), 6 APML Hubs, and 30+ dhabas. The Highway Delite team is working to increase this count to 1000+ within 4 days by listing more pumps and dhabas, where food facilities will be available to drivers,” said Rajesh Kumar G, Founder, Highway Delite.

“We heard from a lot of clients about their drivers being stranded on highways with nowhere to go and bleak availability of essentials like water and food. We immediately got into the act and reached out to Highway Delite to set this up. Once again, I am glad that technology is acting as an enabler in these uncertain times. We all need to come together and help each other out in the present situation,” said Nishith Rastogi, CEO and Co-founder, Locus.

The petrol pump owner and dhaba owner can also update the availability of food and water on a real-time basis by logging into the same application.

To download the app:

• Visit https://digipitstop.com/driverseva


• Go to https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lnIRje9bDeeFYEnzT8Fsq7zdqRADWR8e

Download the APK File and Install the APK on your Android device. (Please allow the browser to download and install the APK File).

“We would like all of you to help us spread the word to companies that their on-ground fleet and their driver partners can depend on the app to help them access facilities until the situation improves,” added Nishith.

About Highway Delite:

Highway Delite is trying to solve problems faced by commuters on Indian highways by providing verified and reviewed database of restaurants and other necessary services required while commuting (medical facilities, petrol stations, repair shops, toilets, lodge/hotels), through an mobile application which can provide the above services on a real-time location basis.

About Locus:

Locus is a deep-tech platform that automates human decisions in supply chain to provide efficiency, transparency, and consistency in logistics operations. Locus solutions automate human decisions required to transport a package or a person, between any two points on earth.

The platform uses deep machine learning and proprietary algorithms to offer smart logistics solutions like route optimization, real-time tracking, insights and analytics, beat optimization, efficient warehouse management, vehicle allocation and utilization. Locus’ customers include Blue Dart, Bigbasket, Myntra, Unilever, Tata Sky, Urban Ladder, and Lenskart, among others. Locus last raised $22 mn in their Series B round backed by major investors like Falcon Edge Capital, Tiger Global, and Blume Ventures, taking the total funds to $29 million to date. Since its inception in 2015, Locus has grown rapidly and remarkably, expanding teams internationally and capturing markets in North America, Southeast Asia, and India

FMCG 2025 Highlights the Need for Increased Opportunity amidst Competition

FMCG 2025, was hosted by a global supply chain decision-making platform, Locus late last week in Mumbai. The event saw participation from supply chain bigwigs of leading FMCG players like Unilever, Dabur, Tata Starquik, Godrej Consumer Products, PepsiCo India, Nestle, Mondelez, VLCC Personal Care and eminent professors. The event was an opportunity for industry stalwarts to discuss strategies, innovation, and revolutionary technologies in the FMCG supply chain with an industry outlook for 2025.

Mr. Nishith Aggarwal, Director of Customer Development, Route to Market South Asia, Unilever, said, “Omnichannel has promising opportunities in E-commerce given the seemingly viable economics of the model. From the FMCG distribution perspective, while the efficiency of operations has always been intrinsic to model, the key differentiator among players is how effective you are. On being asked about rising competition, Nishith opined, “Competition has always been there in the industry and is good for innovation. The key point is to remain focussed on consumer needs and trends and not get carried away by only competitive response.” Mr. Aggarwal comes with 17 years of experience in Supply Chain and Sales Operations in distributive trade context in leading organizations.

K. Radhakrishna, Co-Founder at Tata Starquik, added, “FMCG companies have innovated in distribution channels that has worked fairly well. What e-commerce has done is empowered the customer, an unparalleled feat."

Krishna Khandelwal, Chief Business Officer, Locus, said, “E-commerce has instilled a sense of fear of missing out in the FMCG fraternity, and all the increased action is helping the ecosystem grow."

Key topics covered were ‘How E-commerce is Disrupting the Consumer Market Space’ focusing on the rise of e-commerce, which has raised questions on the existing operating model of FMCG companies. E-commerce companies have radically shortened the delivery cycle, and even though they are currently about 10% of the market, the growth rate of 24.8% signifies the disruption created in the industry.



Another trend discussed was ‘Rural India - The Future of the FMCG Industry in India’ with the metro markets saturating giving rise to opportunities to tap into high potential and fast-growing semi-urban and rural segments. This panel discussion was addressed by Shivinder Singh, Head, Trade Marketing for Home & Personal Care, and Sales IT at Dabur India and Dr. Harvinder Singh, Chairperson – Marketing Area, IMT Ghaziabad followed by a Q&A session.

Dr. Harvinder Singh said, “Accessibility, awareness, and affordability are the significant elements required to address a rural market, be it for a startup or conglomerate."

Shivinder Singh said, “Kirana stores in rural India will place orders on the app to replenish their inventory; however, this will take at least a decade to function smoothly. Impact of technology to show benefits will require the consumer to move using the app from an awareness generation tool to an order placing mechanism.”

The event saw an amalgamation of business insights led by Krishna Khandelwal, CBO, Locus and a dash of humor added by the special host Shashwat Maheshwari. Locus is all set to organize similar round table conferences for different industry segments.

AI-led Supply Chain optimization Firm Locus Raises $22 Mn Falcon Edge and Tiger Global

Locus, a global AI backed supply chain optimization company has secured $22 Million in (Series B) funding by Falcon Edge Capital & Tiger Global Management. Previous investors Exfinity Venture Partners and Blume Ventures also took part in this round.

After demonstrating successful customer rollouts across sectors in India, the company began expanding to North America and Southeast Asia in 2018. The new round of funding will help Locus penetrate deeper into the new markets by enhancing the product & solutions for each geography and also in expanding local teams.

Locus automates human decisions required to transport a package or a person, between any two points on earth, delivering gains along the axes of efficiency, consistency, and transparency in operations. The company's premier logistics optimization solutions include route optimization, real-time tracking of orders, insights and analytics, dynamic sales journey plans, and automated shipment sorting. Locus is focussed on solving complex real-world logistics problems like increasing First Attempt Delivery Rate (FADR) for e-commerce companies, sales transformation for global CPG companies, and suggesting optimal fleet mix for 3PL companies.

“Locus provides autonomous supply chain optimization thus minimizing the dependency on human intelligence, built by an incredible team of PhDs & Engineers. Product applications include clubbing of forward and reverse logistics in a single route plan, schedule & on-demand dispatch planning, and automatic escalation management. Locus is on an unprecedented path to automate every possible decision in the supply chain. The funding will act as a boost to our global expansion efforts as we amplify our team size specifically in North America and continue to build our IP,” said Locus CEO, Nishith Rastogi.

“We believe the trillion dollar global logistics market is ripe for disruption via technological change, particularly AI and machine learning driven solutions. We are excited to lead a Series B round in Locus, a company that deploys AI/ML/deep tech to drive route optimization outcomes in global logistics markets. With prolific anchor customers such as Blue Dart, the team has demonstrated the ability to build and deliver cutting edge technology and algorithmic driven outcomes that provide attributable ROI to the enterprise at scale. We are excited to help Locus expand its breadth and depth of product and sales reach, moving from route optimization to a full-stack SaaS offering to the enterprise around its logistics needs.” said Navroz D. Udwadia, Co-Founder, Falcon Edge Capital.

Locus has established itself as an innovative leader in AI backed logistics solutions by tackling the industry’s core supply chain challenges and operational complexities. One of the largest e-grocery players in India is using Locus to achieve 99.5% SLA adherence for its 10Mn+ customers. Locus currently serves 40+ clients globally saving logistics cost at scale, increasing productivity and profitability for enterprises across multiple segments, owning a peak of over 1 million orders processed in a day. Locus has offices in India, US and Indonesia and dedicated local teams for these regions.

Locus is an advanced supply chain optimization company that uses proprietary algorithms and deep learning to provide route optimization, real-time tracking, insights and analytics, dynamic sales journey plans, efficient warehouse management and vehicle allocation & utilization. Locus identifies new gaps in the logistics sector and fills them with AI-based decision-making solutions helping enterprises reduce logistics cost, enable on-time deliveries and provide a delightful end user experience. Founded by Nishith Rastogi and Geet Garg, the company comprises of engineers and data scientists from Carnegie Mellon University and Indian Institute of Technology. The company now has operations in the US, Indonesia, Singapore, India, and Australia.

[Top Featured Image - (L-R)Nishith Rastogi, CEO & Co-founder & Geet Garg, CTO & Co-founder at Locus]

Logistics Management Platform Locus Raises $2.75M in Series A Funding Led by Exfinity Venture Partners

[caption id="attachment_105795" align="alignnone" width="701"] Locus Founders - Nishith Rastogi and Geet Garg[/caption]

Logistics management platform, Locus has raised $2.75 million in Series A funding led by Exfinity Venture Partners with participation from Blume Ventures, BeeNext and Rajesh Ranavat (MD, Fung Capital). Existing investors also participated in this round. The startup received seed funding from growX, Bhupen Shah, Manish Singhal, Amit Ranjan and others mid last year. Locus enables enterprises with technology to manage their deliveries, with features including, automated smart dispatches, tracking, and fleet visualization, proprietary geocoder and proprietary route deviation engine. The funding will be used to strengthen its technology offerings and expand the team.

Locus helps local companies and enterprises in courier, e-commerce, food delivery, FMCG and other verticals to optimize their logistics. The startup offers two capabilities to clients - to Build - using a cluster of APIs, to enable developers embed it into their apps, and track delivery using Locus’ platform, and to Customize, that large clients can brand for themselves.

Nishith Rastogi, Co-founder & CEO, Locus, adds, “Supply chain, delivery and logistics are critical challenges and key to competitive advantage for enterprises. We at Locus, have created high-end algorithms & systems, unlike any existing solution, to take care of this problem so businesses can focus on offering their customers a delightful experience.”

Urban Ladder has been one of the earliest users of Locus. Kaustubh Chakraborty, Vice President, Operations, Urban Ladder, says, “Locus is a fantastic product with a clear interface for easy adoption and usage. For a customer focused, fast growing company like ours, management of on-time, efficient deliveries is super important. Locus has helped improve our productivity by 25% in 3 months. The team has been very engaged and committed towards finding solutions for problems specific to us.”

Locus provides solutions for on demand businesses for dispatching, route optimization, real-time driver tracking, managing the on-field workforce, mobile messaging, ETAs, tracking and sms alerts for end-customers and predictive analytics. The company offers the entire logistics technology stack in the form of a PAAS (platform as a service).

Locus was founded mid last year, by Nishith Rastogi (BITS Pilani alumnus) and Geet Garg (IIT Kharagpur alumnus), who worked together at Amazon, and has emerged from RideSafe, an app they built over a route deviation engine for travel safety for women.  The core team at Locus comprises ex-AWS engineers and PhDs from TIFR with rich experience in data science, mobile and design.

growX Ventures has so far invested in over 15 Indian startups including Mad Street Den, Claron Energy and Quandl among others.