Maersk app sees record use amid COVID-19

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Maersk has announced that its app has seen record use amid the outbreak of COVID-19. The demand is driven by customers relying on e-commerce to navigate in a business environment which has seen record numbers of employees working from home for safety reasons while performing day-to-day operations. Record demand for online business transactions has increased the Maersk shipments app usage by nearly 90% in 2020.

“In the first five weeks of 2020, the app averaged 70,000 business transactions weekly. By mid-April, it had grown to 130,000 business transactions weekly, reflecting an 86% increase in this online remote usage tool,” said Carsten Frank Olsen, Head of eCommerce at Maersk.

The surge of interest in the app usage reflects the container tracking, vessel schedule, live chat, instant rate quotes, booking of containers, cargo notifications, and Spot Rates activities that customers are relying on to run their business while away from the office. Customers can use credit cards or a smart pay solution and have cargo released instantly.

Three new e-commerce digital solutions were added in March that aim to improve the customer experience for import functionality and replace manual processes: Maersk Delivery Order (MDO) enabling cargo release; the Demurrage and Detention Calculator that answers storage fees and offers online payment for immediate release of full containers at the port or storage yard; and free day for a container in storage – which is a feature designed for US-based customers.

Source: Maersk