FedEx announced today the launch of a new “data-driven commerce platform” called fdx, set to debut this fall, which promises to provide online merchants with “end-to-end e-commerce solutions.”
This platform is designed to assist businesses in managing their supply chains, customer sales, and deliveries.
In its announcement, FedEx detailed that fdx will integrate existing FedEx commerce tools, such as access to ShopRunner members—an e-commerce marketplace acquired by FedEx in 2020—with new features launching in the fall.
These features include the ability to create a “custom post-purchase experience,” enabling brands to offer customers more precise shipment information and leverage insights from FedEx’s shipment network data for better order management.
Christina Meek, FedEx’s global relations manager, communicated to The Verge via email that FedEx is not entering the marketplace business.
Instead, it aims to provide businesses with “digital capabilities and insights” while allowing them to maintain control over their customer experience.
The introduction of this new platform occurs as FedEx faces competition in logistics from Amazon, a company it has viewed as a business threat for several years.
In 2019, FedEx chose not to renew a contract to transport Amazon cargo through FedEx Express. Later that year, Amazon prohibited its sellers from using FedEx for Prime deliveries during the holiday season, citing declining performance. This ban was lifted the following year.
FedEx and UPS have both been losing market share to Amazon. In 2022, Amazon delivered more home packages in the US than either FedEx or UPS.
This rapid growth follows Amazon’s development of a logistics network that predominantly relies on third-party contractors, whom Amazon does not classify as its employees.
