TEL AVIV: February 27, 2019. Zim has invested in a US$1 million funding round by technology company Ladingo that enables personal importation of large and bulky items to shoppers purchasing from international online retailers.

Ladingo, founded in January of 2018 by Hagar Valiano Rips, Ruth Reiner and Guy Levi, offer an e-tailer solution for selling large and bulky items including furniture, bicycles, fitness equipment, garden equipment and electronics directly from overseas retailers or manufacturers to the shoppers’ door.

The company says its technology platform offers a transparent digital integration of the entire process.

According to Zim, nearly all B2C e-commerce purchases, estimated at US$2.5 trillion annually, are shipped via airfreight. The disadvantages of airfreight, it suggests, are weight and size limitations that prevent items from being shipped at a reasonable cost.

And the price obstacle and regulatory requirements limit the variety of products that online shops can sell to international customers, it adds.

In implementing its container-sharing solution for end shoppers, Ladingo says shoppers can now buy any size product online from any location in the world, just as easily as they’d buy an iPhone cover.

“Our support and investment in Ladingo is part of the greater ZIM vision, one of openness and the promotion of technological innovation in all aspects of our operations,” explained ZIM vice president of Global Customer Service Assaf Tiran. “We see tremendous potential in Ladingos’ platform, providing a real breakthrough simplifying the complex supply chain process all the way to the end-users’ homes. We believe that developments like Ladingo will lead to a significant change in global trade.”

Ladingo CEO Hagar Valiano Rips added: “Item location, size and weight have no significance and there is no longer a need for inventory. Looking a couple of years ahead, we will all buy directly from sellers or manufacturers abroad – without any intermediaries. This is the manifestation of a true global e-commerce revolution. ZIM is not only investing in Ladingo’s technology, they are engaging in a fully synergistic investment, one that will lead to a revolution within the B2C world.”