Johannesburg-based startup Signific has launched its software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solution for small businesses, which makes delivery management simple.
Founded earlier this year by Yusuf Hoosen, Signific claims to be the first SaaS logistics operating platform designed specifically for smaller businesses, using one-click advanced planning algorithms previously primarily used in enterprise software in order to automate and optimise delivery routes and time.
The platform brings together the whole delivery ecosystem, connecting operator, driver and client, allowing for transparency, real-time updates and communication. These features help increase productivity, reduce costs, and save time for all users of the platform.
Hoosen told Disrupt Africa that Signific was one of a kind, with no competitors in Africa.
“Most logistics software is built for large companies and is expensive with accompanying long contractual lock-in periods. Small businesses also require enterprise level tools to solve their business problems, but such products are not easily accessible and affordable,” he said.
The self-funded startup, which at this point is also pre-revenue, will charge users for per-vehicle access to its platform. Hoosen said as a B2B service sales engagement cycles were long, but that Signific had just soft-launched a pilot with a small logistics company with 15 delivery vehicles.
“We are in talks with other businesses to follow-on in the coming months. The feedback from possible customers is that this is something they could see using; the only barrier to adoption is that there is a requirement for drivers to have a smartphone and businesses are unsure how to handle this cost,” he said.
Focused on South Africa initially, Signific is nonetheless available to any small business in the world. It also has wider African ambitions.
“We see the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) as a big opportunity for us, since economic studies suggest that logistics is the biggest barrier to Africa’s single-market success,” said Hoosen.
