RouteLift: Tech Infrastructure for the Future of Logistics

RouteLift: Tech Infrastructure for the Future of Logistics

I once heard a colleague say that “logistics is where e-commerce goes to die”. When statistics say that e-commerce businesses lose up to $1B every year from failed last-mile deliveries, these are not mere numbers. They represent real losses made by real people who have invested their time, money and skills into running their own business online. They represent unreliable drivers, complicated routes, blackouts in communication, and many other issues that business owners and delivery drivers face in Nigeria.

So far, we’ve seen several solutions arrive on the scene. Some are local, and others are imported from foreign shores. There are ride hailing apps that have expanded their offerings to include package logistics. There are local logistics services, with more informal settings— no tracking is enabled for patrons and they are usually left in the dark for the duration of the delivery process. However, none of these solutions are uniquely suited to the e-commerce entrepreneur. With a market size of $26B, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the problems that plague them. 

Rethinking Logistics Infrastructure in Nigeria

A common approach that has been taken to solve the logistics nightmare in Nigeria has involved companies primarily prioritizing fleet/asset ownership. This is a method that makes scaling very difficult. Logistics founders believe that owning the bikes and trucks immediately equals a significant boost in the quality of services rendered. It’s evident from the demise of quite a few well-known delivery platforms with large fleets that this is simply not the solution.

This approach is capital intensive and attempts to use hardware to solve a software problem. What’s needed is not another delivery company. The industry needs a new operational system– one that makes existing riders perform better while simultaneously powering growth for SMBs. This is precisely RouteLift’s solution.

What makes RouteLift different?

There are four pillars that position RouteLift as a solution to the market.

  1. Unified control center: With RouteLift, you have a single dashboard to manage deliveries from doorstep to delivery. We’re mobile-first with an app you can download, or you can simply use RAYA, our AI delivery assistant on WhatsApp.Without switching apps or making multiple phone calls, every business can easily place deliveries, estimate prices and track packages from pickup to handoff. Yes, you can do all these in a few minutes on WhatsApp. It reduces coordination time for businesses by as much as 70% and eliminates delivery blind spots.
  2. Smart automation engine: Our software replaces manual coordination with intelligent rider matching based on location, capacity and performance history. We also use AI/ML to learn traffic patterns and optimize routes. This considerably improves our efficiency with faster pick ups and lower operational costs. 
  3. Vetted driver network: With RouteLift, you get access to pre-vetted, high-performance drivers on demand. Every driver undergoes a rigorous vetting and onboarding process with continuous performance monitoring. While we do not own any vehicle, we ensure that our delivery partners are high-performing and reliable.
  4. Built for high-velocity commerce: With the explosion of e-commerce in Africa, RouteLift’s infrastructure is designed to meet modern demands. Traditional logistics solutions aren’t equipped to do this at scale. Meanwhile, our systems have in-built high demand capabilities such as:
  • Surge capacity management for flash sales and promotional periods
  • Multi-pickup, multi-drop optimization
  • Infrastructure designed to handle thousands of daily orders

With our API integrations allowing seamless connections with e-commerce platforms, our infrastructure meets every requirement.

Our Vision

RouteLift’s vision is confident delivery for every growing business. We’re building the infrastructure layer for this generation of African commerce. Right now, Nigeria sits at the 88th position on the World Bank's 2023 Logistics Performance Index. While global standards emphasize 8–11% efficiency, we’re facing high operating costs and fragmented delivery networks. RouteLift’s goal is to solve these problems.

What's next for us?

  1. Expanding coverage across Nigerian cities: We currently operate in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, despite not being physically present. Our software infrastructure expedites our rate of scale and ability to provide our services to businesses in real need.
  2. Enhanced AI capabilities for even smarter operations: We’re training our AI assistants to be smarter, faster and better informed to adequately cater to each user.
  3. Deeper integrations with the broader commerce ecosystem: Our focus is on e-commerce and we are aiming at being indispensable to social commerce sellers, as well as larger e-commerce companies that require last mile logistics for their business.
  4. Setting new standards for logistics in Africa: We believe in the economic potential that accompanies solving last mile logistics problems and we are aiming to make Nigeria (and Africa) a force to be reckoned with in the global ecosystem.

Conclusion

Logistics services is a temporary solution to more deeply rooted last mile delivery infrastructural problems that the e-commerce industry is facing. We have to shift from  "delivery providers" to "technology partners" and start solving operational problems with software sre. The future of e-commerce in Nigeria depends on the invisible infrastructure that we’re building today.

If your business is ready to experience the difference that proper last mile delivery infrastructure makes, start today by sending a message to RAYA on WhatsApp. For API integrations and other partnerships, please send an email to hello@routelift.com.