Shippeo was undoubtedly the biggest mover in Gartner’s 2024 Magic Quadrant for Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platforms (RTTVPs). Shippeo’s inclusion as leaders is thanks to a shift along Gartner’s ‘completeness of vision axis’, with the European visibility provider having already boasted a competitive placement on the ‘ability to execute axis’ for many years. The quadrant does nonetheless still indicate that project44 and FourKites are out in front, while the gap between those players has apparently widened according to the research.
Although Gartner’s findings are subject to debate, and not everyone in the supply chain industry takes the annual quadrant releases as gospel, they do present a fascinating overview of what is a competitive and complex market.
Here at trans.iNFO we have been following these reports year-on-year, and today we will continue this process by looking at the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platforms, its findings, as well as comparisons from previous years.
How the quadrant has evolved since 2021
The image below shows how the quadrant has changed over time, and some quick takeaways can be made at first glance.
Chief among them is how the number of players on the chart has halved from 14 in 2021 to just 7 in 2024.
Secondly, despite Shippeo’s arrival into the leaders’ quadrant in 2024, project44 and FourKites have been best placed in the chart for 4 successive years. As project44 has proudly stated in its press release, it has also enjoyed best placement among the top 2 in each of these 4 years.
Finally, Shippeo’s big move into the leaders’ quadrant this year represents the most significant year-on-year shift of any player in the market included in Gartner’s research.
Gartner’s ‘strengths and cautions’ with respect to project44, FourKites and Shippeo
Project44
Strengths
In terms of strengths, Gartner refers to project44 as one of the largest RTTVP vendors in terms of revenue, customer count, and deal presence for 2023.
Its global strategy is also considered a plus point by Gartner, who describe project44 as having the broadest international footprint among its competitors, evidenced by its numerous offices, support teams, client base, and volume of tracked shipments.
Moreover, Gartner notes project44’s commitment to innovation, including substantial investment in research and development, a strong product roadmap for the upcoming year, and a significant completion rate of its 2023 product development goals.
Cautions
However, with respect to cautions, Gartner states that despite project 44’s financial and client growth, the company has yet to achieve profitability due to its main focus being innovation.
In addition, Gartner states that although customer feedback shows improvement, some users still report inconsistent experiences with the company’s shipment tracking services.
On top of this, Gartner’s research adds that project44 experienced a lower-than-average employee tenure and executed layoffs in 2023, and refers to leadership team changes. Gartner thus concludes that “potential and current customers should assess the impact if support staff turns over”.
FourKites
Strengths
In Gartner’s opinion, FourKites exhibits strengths in its business model, product strategy, and its marketing execution within the Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platforms sector. Additionally, Gartner highlights the company’s financial standing, noting positive cash flow and an absence of debt.
When it comes to product strategy, Gartner states that FourKites’ offer includes core functionalities and a range of extended features like order and inventory visibility, late reason coding, and dynamic yard management. The company’s vast carrier network is also considered a plus.
Another of FourKites’ strengths, according to Gartner, is marketing. The company is described as having achieved notable recognition in the RTTVP arena, which is illustrated by its frequent inclusion in customer requests for proposals (RFPs) and a high volume of queries, reviews, and website traffic.
Cautions
On the flip side, Gartner also stresses areas where FourKites faces challenges. For example, Gartner states that FourKites’ sales growth has been slower relative to some competitors.
Another “caution” listed in Gartner’s research relates to customer experience. Gartner believes that despite year-on-year improvements, FourKites’ customer experience has shown some inconsistencies, particularly in service and support from deployment to live operations, as noted in user feedback and reviews.
Operations is another area where Gartner noted some cautions. The research company notes that as FourKites has traditionally managed its implementations, its “number of implementation partners and office locations were below the average of all vendors in this research”.
Shippeo
Strengths
Plus points highlighted by Gartner include Shippeo’s visibility product, which Gartner states has been recognised for its “market-leading predictive ETAs”.
Additionally, Gartner stresses Shippeo is the sole vendor to include contractual service level agreements (SLAs) on ETA accuracy, tracking accuracy, and carrier onboarding in its contracts.
Innovation is also a key strength for Shippeo according to Gartner’s research. Gartner states this is evidenced by the completion of a significant portion of its 2023 product roadmap and substantial investment in research and development, surpassing industry averages.
Customer satisfaction is another strong point. Gartner explains that Shippeo achieved the highest overall score and one of the top “willingness to recommend” ratings on Gartner Peer Insights among competitors in the quadrant.
Cautions
On the other hand, Gartner also finds that Shippeo faces challenges in terms of geographic strategy, sales, and marketing execution. Gartner states that while Shippeo has shown growth, particularly in North America, its global footprint and customer base remain concentrated in Europe and are not as extensive as other market leaders.
In addition to this, Gartner says that although Shippeo demonstrated the highest year-over-year growth in customer numbers and revenue, its total revenue and customer count still lag behind other leading vendors.
Finally, Gartner stresses that Shippeo’s market presence and brand recognition, particularly outside Europe, need strengthening. Gartner adds that this is indicated by lower web traffic, social media engagement, and search queries compared to other leading players.
Market Analysis
Besides offering the pros and cons of the main players in the RTTVP space, Gartner’s research includes some insights into the market as a whole.
According to Gartner, the competitive landscape within the Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platforms (RTTVP) sector means that the market leaders present formidable challenges for new entrants.
Additionally, Gartner states that the trend towards consolidation is evident, with mergers and acquisitions shaping the sector’s future. Gartner also believes movement towards a more consolidated market is reducing the number of stand-alone RTTVP solutions, with dominant players capturing increasing market shares.
Moreover, as the RTTVP market evolves, Gartner observes that there is a clear shift toward solutions that offer broader capabilities, encompassing multiple modes and geographical regions, moving away from the initial focus on single-mode or regional solutions. Gartner says this shift is in response to the growing demand for integrated, comprehensive visibility solutions from shippers, logistics service providers, and companies.
Another area of note in Gartner’s opinion is collaboration, which has emerged as a strategic approach in which RTTVP vendors form partnerships with other visibility providers, including sensor and device vendors, to offer cohesive solutions to customers. These partnerships, says Gartner, can extend across various segments, enhancing visibility not just in traditional areas but also in ocean, rail, intermodal and inland shipping.
Finally, Inbound visibility is emphasised by Gartner as well. The research giant says vendors are offering solutions that provide insights into both inbound and outbound freight movements. This “networked visibility” as Garner puts it, is becoming key for companies seeking to optimise supply chains, improve operational efficiencies and enhance productivity. Gartner also considers integration with suppliers for shipment information as a key factor in the value proposition of RTTVP solutions, as it allows for the streamlining of implementation processes and thus a better value proposition for customers.
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