- Small freight forwarders in Southeast Asia are rapidly digitizing operations, leveraging tools like WebCargo Book and Rate & Quote to deliver customer experiences that often outperform larger, legacy-bound competitors.
- Digital workforces and platforms like WebCargo Pay enable real-time booking, automated workflows, and improved cash flow management, giving SMEs flexibility and transparency in fast-growing manufacturing hubs like Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.
- This digital-first approach allows freight forwarders to expand markets, increase freight volumes, strengthen relationships with carriers and set new standards for services, positioning Southeast Asia as a potential global leader in the digitization of logistics.
While global freight forwarders grapple with outdated technology and bloated processes, a quieter digital transformation is underway in Southeast Asia. Here, small and medium-sized freight forwarders – many with limited resources – are rapidly modernizing their operations and, in many cases, outperforming their multinational counterparts. In a fragmented and rapidly growing logistics landscape, scale is not always an advantage. Smaller freight forwarders in Southeast Asia have proven that speed and adaptability can trump scale – especially when it comes to digital transformation.
“The cumulative effect is that many small freight companies in Southeast Asia are creating digital customer experiences that rival or exceed those offered by their much larger global competitors, despite having a fraction of the resources,” said Joyce Tay, executive vice president of global partnerships at Freightos. “In digital transformation, agility and market fit are often more important than scale.”
With less regulatory friction and no legacy technology stacks to dispose of, these players are quicker to adopt digital tools. Platforms like WebCargo Book and WebCargo Rate & Quote are used not as future investments, but as necessities in the present.
A digitally native workforce
A generational shift is also fueling the momentum. With digital-first professionals entering the shipping industry, digital booking tools and quotes are no longer seen as optional, but rather expected.
“Unlike their predecessors, they embrace digitalization instinctively, making platforms like WebCargo Book not only useful, but second nature,” Tai said.
This shift is particularly evident in manufacturing hubs such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, where local freight forwarders are responding to exporters’ growing demand for faster and more transparent logistics services. What was once a manual, email-heavy process is quickly becoming a real-time, automated experience.
Fintech meets shipping
While technology adoption is accelerating, financial frictions remain a bottleneck – especially for small businesses dealing with tight cash flow. This is where tools like WebCargo Pay reshape the playing field.
“WebCargo Pay’s particular strength in Southeast Asia comes from addressing the specific financial and infrastructure challenges of emerging markets while aligning with digital consumer behaviors in the region,” Tai said.
By removing financing barriers, alleviating cash flow constraints, and improving transaction visibility, WebCargo Pay allows smaller freight forwarders to provide better service and compete with greater confidence.
“Shippers are responding with stronger confidence, citing better service experiences, greater transparency, and a sense of true partnership,” she added. “All of this gives small freight forwarders a competitive advantage.”
Outperforming the old guard
The results are tangible. Freightos has noticed that freight forwarders are using real-time pricing and booking tools to expand into new markets, increase freight volumes, and build stronger relationships with carriers.
“WebCargo Pay has helped freight forwarders in Southeast Asia increase volumes, accelerate bookings, and manage cash flow more effectively, while also strengthening their relationships with carriers,” Tai said. “We’ve seen freight forwarders use instant dynamic pricing and bookings to enter new markets faster, expand volumes with confidence, and demonstrate reliability that wins them more freight business.”
Meanwhile, major global companies – many of which are tied to legacy systems and slow transformation projects – are struggling to keep pace. What was considered “added value” in customer service is quickly becoming the basic expectation.
Strategic imperative
What is happening in Southeast Asia is more than just regional progress, it is a test case for global industry. The emergence of digitally agile SMEs is reshaping what service, speed and transparency mean in shipping.
“The next three to five years are likely to see Southeast Asia emerge as a global leader in the adoption of digital logistics, potentially overtaking more established markets,” Tai noted. “Freightos is positioned to play a pivotal role in this transformation by providing the digital infrastructure, market connectivity and standardization needed for the region to realize its potential as an integrated and efficient logistics powerhouse.”
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