“IAG Cargo uses the combined strength of its five sister airlines to support customers and deliver their goods to manufacturers and consumers across the world. Being on a platform like cargo.one helps us grow our shop window, by reaching even more global customers and communicating to our expansive network in a way like never before.”
Peter Roberts, Head of Distribution at IAG Cargo, has a clear goal to make it extremely easy for forwarders to benefit from the services and capabilities it provides, offering them the ability to book cargo shipments anytime, anywhere, within a few minutes. This goal led the company to invest in building its digital booking capabilities early on, and explore the value of partnering with cargo.one to reach its customers in as many ways as possible
From early strategic collaboration to a global proposition
A shared mission to ‘serve the need of the customer and to give them choices and reach,’ set the basis of the relationship between IAG Cargo and cargo.one, which began in the very early days of air cargo digital distribution. Both companies were keen to explore the vast potential of digital sales and what this may look like for airlines, forwarders, and technology providers. Regular calls between the teams, immersing one another into each other's business and aligning on a shared strategic direction became the catalyst for a commercial partnership that launched formally in 2022.
“I’m really pleased to see the growth of our digital bookings via cargo.one, coming almost exactly where we expected to be. Through collaboration and joint effort, we have been able to provide customers with an efficient online booking experience.”
Scaling at pace
cargo.one's structured rollout with hands-on support and close collaboration was key to ensure success and stay efficient as both partners scaled. With direct lines into both teams, there were regular discussions about where progress was strong and where improvements were needed. The tight-knit communication resulted in a fast-paced rollout that worked incredibly well for IAG Cargo. Due to the collaborative nature of the partnership and a united focus on delivering a great service to the customer, both teams worked hand-in-hand to resolve any technical issues encountered, often within hours rather than days or weeks. A key strength for Peter and his team was cargo.one’s reliability, and its ability to get things done at speed.
“There’s a very strong energy and focus on action and delivery with cargo.one. Whenever a challenge arises, cargo.one is both proactive and action orientated in working with us to come up with a same-day solution, which is important in an industry that is as fast-moving as the air cargo industry."
Being at the forefront of pace
As Head of Distribution, Peter is responsible for driving IAG Cargo’s digital distribution channels, including their integration with third parties, such as cargo.one. Due to the airline’s size, scope, and leverage within the industry, Peter often finds himself working with various leading third-party providers. While the relationship with cargo.one is not entirely unique, it has always resonated with IAG Cargo.
“They are personable; they really understand the tech, they are hyper-focused on the customer, and they understand the value of data. All are key factors which, when combined, really resonate with us.”
Peter also recognizes cargo.one’s rare ability to match the pace of IAG Cargo.
"The cargo.one team has been at the forefront with putting in the effort, planning, and collaborating with us. For example, cargo.one has adopted enhancements to our APIs within 4 hours, demonstrating their efficient ways of working."
What’s on the horizon
Up until recently, the partnership has mainly focused on the booking of general cargo. However, with IAG Cargo’s varied product offering, the airline saw the importance of expanding the partnership to enable customers to book other products. IAG Cargo has started growing its digital sales for their Constant Fresh product for moving perishables, and their Constant Climate Passive product for moving temperature-sensitive freight.
As a data-led organization, the cargo.one360 data analytics tool has become a “valuable and helpful” resource for the team at IAG Cargo, particularly for analyzing market performance and understanding customer behavior. cargo.one’s compliant insights are becoming ever more valued in terms of remaining ahead of the digital curve and tracking successes in the coming years.
In close synergy with cargo.one's philosophy, Peter believes the future is never about revolution, but the right evolution:
“It’s about the expansion of capabilities and bringing the right kind of propositions to the market through digital tools. As we invest in our digital capability, we will be enriching what’s made possible and available through platforms like cargo.one.”
To learn more about how cargo.one can help you accelerate your digital cargo sales, contact us.
About IAG Cargo
IAG Cargo is the single business created following the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo in April 2011. Following the integration of additional airlines into the business, including Aer Lingus, Vueling and bmi, IAG Cargo now covers a global network. In 2022, IAG Cargo had a commercial value of €1,635 million.
For further information on IAG Cargo, please visit the IAG Cargo YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/IAGCargo or alternatively,
visit the IAG Cargo website: https://www.iagcargo.com
