RouteQ, a subsidiary of Yandex and a provider of cloud-based delivery management software solutions, has announced an expansion of its operation to the Middle East. This is to plug the critical gaps in the region’s delivery fleet operations, by providing comprehensive route planning and delivery tracking capabilities for today’s competitive retail, e-commerce, delivery providers, and fast-moving consumer goods businesses.

Couriers are facing increased demand in the wake of the pandemic and e-commerce volume is expected to remain high for some time. Some project that the e-commerce market in the UAE will reach $8 billion by 2025. RouteQ believes that digital transformation will play a significant role in the region’s logistics market in the coming years.

“The number-one challenge facing B2C or B2B organisations in the region, when it comes to moving goods and services from point A to point B, is the vague or incomplete destination address,” said Vladimir Nesterov, general manager for RouteQ in the Middle East. “When you put this together with the relatively high volume of goods returned — up to 40 per cent, according to some reports we are seeing — optimising routes becomes more important than ever. This is why we feel so strongly that we can add value in the Middle Eastern market.”

Yandex’s experience in mapping exceeds 15 years, and the firm has built on past innovations (particularly in the field of complex algorithms) to leverage modern maps and traffic data to enable the most precise delivery in the industry.

RouteQ recently opened operations in Dubai to expand its presence in the Middle East and help regional businesses address their delivery challenges. In the coming year, Nesterov plans to expand the company’s regional sales and marketing team.