Shipping Services Marketplace for Saudi Arabia’s Deyarat Trading Co
Summary
ScienceSoft provided end-to-end development of a shipping services marketplace for an established KSA supplier of tech systems and equipment. With ScienceSoft’s expert help, the Client was able to optimize the project cost and promptly release the software.
About Deyarat Trading Co
The Client is Deyarat Trading Co, a Saudi Arabian multi-entity enterprise focused on international trade. Deyarat Trading Co has 4 subsidiaries specializing in the supply and maintenance of complex systems and equipment, e.g., for healthcare, science, education, traffic control and monitoring. The company also has a branch providing business brokerage and M&A deal structuring services. Deyarat Trading Co is an established contractor for the key governmental entities of KSA, including the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health, Riyadh Municipality, and more. Deyarat Trading Co also has partnerships with National Installment Company and a range of KSA-based petrochemical giants, such as Saudi Aramco and SABIC.
To establish a new revenue source, Deyarat Trading Co wanted to develop a shipping services marketplace to connect companies involved in import and export operations in Saudi Arabia with shipping carriers and third-party logistics services providers. Due to the lack of in-house project management and relevant IT competencies, Deyarat Trading Co was looking for a reliable tech partner to outsource the marketplace design and development. Owing to ScienceSoft’s 30+ years of expertise in software development and practical experience with the international logistics solutions, Deyarat Trading Co relied on our team to cover end-to-end implementation of a shipping services marketplace.
Design and Development of a Shipping Services Marketplace
ScienceSoft’s experts started with eliciting Deyarat Trading Co’s functional and non-functional requirements for the shipping services marketplace. Based on the collected requirements, ScienceSoft’s team helped elaborate a clear concept of the software, which comprised:
- A detailed feature set.
- An optimal architecture design.
- A plan of necessary integrations and data flows.
- UX/UI mockups for various roles (customers, shipping carriers, marketplace admins).
- Essential security features and policies to apply, and more.
ScienceSoft’s experts provided a ballpark cost estimate for the marketplace, estimates for the development timelines and the resources required to implement the project.
Considering the shipping services marketplace was to support integrations with multiple shipping carriers’ systems and needed to offer comprehensive functionality for various user roles, ScienceSoft’s team suggested building a Proof of Concept and a prototype of the platform. This step helped assess the marketplace’s viability and reduce development risks.
After getting an approval of the prototype from Deyarat Trading Co, ScienceSoft’s developers proceeded with developing the platform’s back end and front end. The team relied on React.js and Django frameworks to optimize the project budget and deliver convenient UX/UI for all user roles.
Before the marketplace prototype going live, ScienceSoft’s team conducted smoke testing to ensure the software performed as intended.
With a shipping services marketplace delivered by ScienceSoft, Deyarat Trading Co received the following core functionality:
- Template-based generation of quotes (for shipping services providers) and requests for quotes (for customers).
- Automated calculation of shipping costs based on the specified parameters (e.g., transportation mode, shipping distance, cargo size and weight, the need for customs clearance, the type of cargo insurance).
- Configurable dashboards to track historical and real-time data on marketplace activities and shipping progress.
- An instant messaging tool to facilitate communication between shippers and shipping services providers.
- Role-based access control and user authentication to ensure the protection of sensitive data the marketplace platform stores.
In addition, Deyarat Trading Co received all the required technical documentation and a detailed description of the capabilities of the shipping services marketplace to facilitate the platform’s evolution, if need be.
Bader Alhamdan, Managing Director at Deyarat Trading Co, says:
Relying on ScienceSoft’s experience in software development and practical knowledge of the transportation and logistics sector, we commissioned them the end-to-end design and development of our shipping services marketplace.
ScienceSoft’s team managed to fully cover our needs and tech requirements to the platform and deliver the solution on time and within budget. We appreciated their client-oriented approach, consistent collaboration across all the project stages, and flexibility to adjust to changes. ScienceSoft’s expert advice helped us reveal cost optimization opportunities and define the functionality to increase the solution’s value for all target user groups.
We believe ScienceSoft has contributed a lot to speed up our marketplace’s release and would certainly recommend them as a reliable tech partner.
Key Outcomes for the Client
- Prompt launch of a marketplace prototype. The platform successfully passed the user acceptance testing and is ready to acquire its user base.
- Optimized project cost due to ScienceSoft’s expert advice on the optimal architecture, features, tech stack.
- A potential to drive high user satisfaction due to the clear, visually appealing UI of the marketplace and efficient automation of RFQ and quote generation, shipping cost calculation, goods transportation tracking, and more.
