Interview with Jan Štefe, the CEO of Eurosender

Meet Mr Jan Štefe, the CEO of Eurosender and see what he has shared with us. From a small logistics company, established in 2014, he has turned Eurosender into one of the leading European logistics hubs offering the most complex logistics solutions to any business or individual shipper.

1. How did the story of Eurosender begin?

When Eurosender was established, there wasn’t a logistics platform offering users a direct comparison between courier prices for their various shipping needs. The unavailability of such a service resulted in small businesses and end consumers often spending a lot of time searching for the best shipping options, comparing the prices of different courier companies manually to find the best solution for their shipping needs.

We saw an opportunity to modernise the traditional ways logistics is done and to fill in the gap in the shipping industry. Over the years, we have built a modern, digitalised logistics platform offering B2B and C2C shippers immediate shipping solutions along with final calculated costs. The only thing the user needs to do is insert the required information and our advanced algorithm will immediately compare all of the shipping options from many logistics companies in our network and offer an option within seconds.

2. In the beginning, Eurosender offered standard parcel and pallet delivery services in Europe. Nowadays, the company has grown to provide various logistics services worldwide. How did it come to this?

We always listen to the customers’ needs and wants and closely follow trends in markets worldwide. When we established the company, the main idea was to offer standard parcels and pallet delivery services. However, shortly, we saw that the logistics needs of our customers are overpassing our current offers. This is why we decided to expand our service portfolio and go beyond what was initially planned. More and more enterprises required global shipping solutions; they sought express shipping, van delivery options, FTL, LTL, etc.

Oftentimes we encounter situations in the market where competitors are not offering suitable logistics solutions. When we come across such do our best to address the matter as soon as possible. The solutions we come up with never happen overnight. First, we observe and thoroughly analyse the demand and possibilities, then build the project and test it thoroughly before launching it as a new product.

3. What is the company’s vision and mission?

Our primary mission has always been to digitalise logistics and distance ourselves from the old practices in this industry that relied mainly on paper usage. We are proud to be among the pioneers offering technologically advanced 21st-century logistics solutions. Once we achieved this, we made it our next mission to explore the biggest and most complex logistics challenges and develop the best possible opportunity for businesses and end customers alike.

At the moment, our central vision is to offer digitally supported logistics solutions at affordable prices to European-based companies. Eurosender is the digital control tower you need to upgrade your business logistics – a unified solution to access multiple transportation options offered by vetted international logistics providers. Our services will save them time, lower shipping costs, and increase overall productivity. We can proudly say that today we are working with more than 85 thousand registered businesses from all over the world.

4. One of the early goals was to become the No. One Logistics Hub. How far is Eurosender today?

I am proud to say that more than a million people visit our website each month. Until today, Eurosender has helped customers from 184 countries. We are trusted by more than 85 thousand business users from 37 countries and countless individuals; among these users, we have businesses from the automotive and health care industries that entrust us with their logistics.

Over the years, we have become one of the leading European logistics platforms, assuring trust and comfort to shippers and receivers. We strive to arrange more sustainable deliveries in the shortest time possible. We lower our carbon footprint by optimising the vans’ capacities and travel routes daily.

I believe this makes us a true European logistics hub; however, we are all aware that logistics is a vast field where a company like Eurosender will always encounter new challenges. This is why we will always strive to develop our services further, offer our customers the best logistics services and user experience, and thus grow and expand. This is why we are one of the leading European logistics platform companies, stimulating competitiveness and sustainability.

5. What are you most proud of as the CEO of Eurosender?

I’m most proud of the Eurosender team who stand by me and overcome significant challenges daily. As a company, we already have more than 110 employees in the Luxembourg and Ljubljana offices; altogether, we speak more than 17 languages. Our employees are the heart of the company, and they are the ones that create Eurosender’s digitalised future step by step every day.

6. Could you share your overview of the year 2021 at Eurosender?

Two things that happened last year. First, it was Brexit, which meant changes entered into force overnight. And if we take into consideration that the UK is one of the out largest markets, it is clear that we were about to face a significant challenge. It wasn’t just Eurosender facing this challenge, but everyone involved in logistics, including our partners and competitors. None of us could prepare for so many critical sudden changes. However, we are very proud to work with dedicated and experienced logistics professionals who immediately took action, from seeking solutions to finding new carriers and offering better prices. We added a new offering on our platform for those who ship to or from the UK, and we are still looking for new solutions.

And secondly, we were finally able to offer shipping solutions of all sizes to our European customers, from occasional shippers who ship smaller parcels to big European businesses with very complex logistics requirements and demands. We had been learning, gathering knowledge, and developing products for a long time before we could finally reach this goal. We are now proud to say that we can cater to any logistics requirement. Be it urgent documents, packages, pallets, vans, LTL, FTL, etc. Today, our logistics specialists can find an optimal solution for every customer, which means that we can handle the entire logistics spectre.

7. What are the biggest challenges in the logistics industry, in your opinion?

The field of logistics is a large branch which has been rapidly evolving for years. The challenges in this industry never cease to arise. The biggest one, in my opinion, is regarding the geopolitical situations, where things are very rapidly changing. Take China and container shortage, for instance. On the other hand, there are customs changes imposed by the European Union, which take quite some time and lead to longer delivery times. Or Russia, which has particular rules for shipping, especially for private users. And not to mention Brexit, which was a story of its last year.

Another unforeseen issue is related to extreme weather conditions, such as earthquakes, floods, and fires. They can significantly alter the delivery within minutes. All these examples and many more show that we must constantly adapt to changes and act efficiently in the shortest time possible.

8. How does Eurosender help companies overcome their logistics challenges? What do you offer that surpasses your competitor’s offers?

At Eurosender, we offer technologically advanced 21st-century logistics solutions. Many competitors in the logistics field still operate on paper, which may cause a lot of delays and unnecessary handwork. We are very proud of our pricing algorithm, which provides the final price within seconds. Our automatised platform compares thousands of quotes and services from the best international logistics companies in seconds, always showing our clients the best-performing option for their route and preferred type of service.

We provide our customers with a sophisticated dashboard that gives them way more autonomy to manage their logistics operations, including a complete overview of past and current shipping orders and statuses. Our automated tools help to eliminate repetitive tasks and save time.

We offer numerous shipping options to B2B and C2C customers, from shipping documents and small parcels to pallets, dedicated vans, LTL or FTL transport. Upon request, we can organise air or sea freight. This way, we provide an extensive user experience.

9. What will Eurosender be focusing on in future?

Next, we will mainly focus on growth. We want to be the leading European logistics company, offering our clients any shipping solutions for various requirements. We strive to improve our technology to stay ahead of the competition. We plan to provide even more simplified solutions for complex logistics issues, which the most prominent players will mainly use. Last but not least, we would also like to attract even smaller customers who would regularly ship with us.