Today we spoke with Parisa Sadrzadeh, Flexport EVP of SMB Product & Technology, about the Flexport Revolution to democratize supply chain for entrepreneurs through the first-ever, self-service, end-to-end, AI-enabled supply chain solution. Now, entrepreneurs will have the power and benefits of scale that’s been reserved only for big companies. And, for entrepreneurs that want more, Flexport is excited to offer Flexport+, a members-only concierge service with special financing, faster delivery, and access to other benefits. Entrepreneurs will have access to 20+ integrated supply chain services from a single page.

Parisa also shares the driving force behind her career – leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs by empowering them with the technology and freedom to grow.

Parisa’s team at Flexport is dedicated to creating simple, seamless, and self-serve global logistics solutions. They work backward from what they know our customers' needs are to address every pain point in an effort to level the playing field for merchants by bringing them access to tools that will ultimately help grow their businesses by enabling them to focus on what they do best—creating compelling products for their customers and growing their businesses.

What are you and your team building?

We’ve been building the logistics tools entrepreneurs need to move forward and enable fast growth, known as the Flexport Revolution. Flexport already has a comprehensive suite of integrations that tie into every step of the supply chain and the data to power that ecosystem.

Now we’re bringing that power to merchants so they can get their products from the factory to every place they want to sell: from major marketplaces like Shopify, Amazon, and Walmart; to brick-and-mortar retail stores and wholesale channels including Costco, Target, and Nordstrom—as well as direct to their customers’ doors.

How is building technology for entrepreneurs different than for larger enterprise customers, and what makes the Flexport offering unique?

We’re building for business owners who may very well be entrusting Flexport with their first ever shipment. That means we’re putting the focus on simplicity, seamless functionality, and self-serve ease. To bring these tools to life—tools that provide solutions for the complex problems of global logistics while remaining simple and easy to use—we’re guided by four primary tenets.

Number one, our product must enable growth to the business owners’ bottom line – whether that's through reduced cost and waste in their supply chain so they can funnel that money back into their business, or delivery promise generation so they can increase their sales conversion, or through access to better capital offerings that enable them to grow their product catalog.

Number two is that our solutions must enable merchants to meet their customers where they are so they can truly sell in all the places they want to sell–without having to worry about managing multiple inventory pools. Our all-in-one solution is a neutral platform, with a suite of optimized integrations across all major e-commerce platforms and retailers, allowing merchants to sell via whichever channel their customers prefer.

Number three, the solution must provide a one-stop shop. It must be a complete, unified solution. Entrepreneurs want to use as few vendors as possible, and through our user research and Flexport’s years serving this audience, we know they want an all encompassing solution so that they focus on what they do best— their customers and growing their businesses.

Number four—out of the box functionality. Solutions can’t require complicated integrations or a three month onboarding process. Business owners must be able to open up Flexport and with a few clicks, move their goods to wherever they need them to be.

We're the only full stack supply chain tech company building end-to-end solutions optimized for small businesses.

How will entrepreneurs benefit from this dedicated solution approach?

The new portal offers a unified platform, granting businesses access to their entire end-to-end supply chain via a single pane of glass—reducing wasted energy and time, increasing cost savings by cutting unnecessary steps, and supercharging their growth potential thanks to those direct marketplace integrations.

We’ve made things even easier by automatically managing some of the most complicated and stressful aspects of supply chain for entrepreneurs by bundling everything they need to ensure smooth logistics like international and domestic freight, storage, distribution, and ecommerce fulfillment services—as well as extended services like customs brokerage, capital options, and cargo insurance.

It also means that we’ll manage the burden of import and export customs, provide supply chain capital as well as insurance offerings that help minimize your risks, and handle all the paperwork to manage your inventory from your manufacturer. Once Flexport receives the inventory, it can be easily allocated or “transferred” to any fulfillment solution that makes the most sense for where that business sells, such as Amazon or Walmart’s fulfillment networks, or to a Flexport fulfillment center that can support end-to-end logistics for various marketplaces.

As an added bonus we’ve also streamlined one of the biggest headaches in shipping by providing instant pricing that combines freight, distribution, and fulfillment service-related charges into one.

And that’s not all. If you think from an entrepreneur’s perspective, their end goal is building trust with their customers and ultimately boosting sales. That’s where our new solution excels – we can help enable transparent and reliable delivery promises – including two-day and next-day delivery – on 20+ e-commerce marketplaces, including Shopify, Walmart, and eBay storefronts. This is a game-changing feature for merchants. For example, Shopify merchants using Flexport’s fast fulfillment capabilities saw up to 25% sales increase.

“The new all-in-one tool and Flexport+ membership program in our supply chain revolution makes logistics so simple that entrepreneurs can scale with one partner and get the time and resources back that they need to supercharge their growth.”

What’s on your roadmap?

Today, our new solution uses AI to power a number of capabilities, including to optimally move inventory across Flexport's network to be closer to customers, as well as to automatically replenish customer inventory. That enables greater delivery coverage, on time shipments, and faster delivery promises. Going forward, we will continue to invest in technology around replenishment and automation across the supply chain. For example, we will be looking into leveraging AI to build an infrastructure that would offer 24/7, expert-like support to customers on questions like how best to optimize product movement, how to navigate cross-border tariff, or even how to sell on Walmart versus Amazon.

We are also excited about building a community for sellers and merchants to inspire each other and grow together. On September 12, we hosted our first in-person launch event in Seattle, and we look forward to creating more opportunities to bring together members of Flexport+. Entrepreneurship is a journey, not a destination, and Flexport wants to be the partner for entrepreneurs as they grow their businesses.

The Flexport Revolution has arrived—the all-in-one portal is live and Flexport+ is available with a free 90-day trial for new customers. If you have questions for our dedicated team of experts, please reach out here.

The contents of this blog are made available for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for any legal, business, or financial decisions. We do not guarantee, represent, or warrant the accuracy or reliability of any of the contents of this blog because they are based on Flexport’s current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions, about which there can be no assurance due to various anticipated and unanticipated events that may occur. This blog has been prepared to the best of Flexport’s knowledge and research; however, the information presented in this blog herein may not reflect the most current regulatory or industry developments. Neither Flexport nor its advisors or affiliates shall be liable for any losses that arise in any way due to the reliance on the contents contained in this blog.