December 13, 2022, Emeryville, CA – AxleHire, providing e-commerce companies with expedited, urban, same- and next-day deliveries, today announced a collaboration with innovative location technology what3words. AxleHire is what3words’ first last-mile delivery partner in the United States.
The global e-commerce landscape is growing rapidly, but companies around the world all face a challenge when it comes to delivery: imprecise addressing. This can take the form of street name changes, address typos, large buildings with multiple access points, rebranded apartment and condo complexes, rural locations, and more.
what3words provides a simple solution to these issues. The technology has divided the globe into a grid of 10ft x 10ft (3m x 3m x 3m) squares and given each square a unique combination of three random words: a what3words address. This means that every front door, side door, mall entrance, delivery point, and car parking spot has its own unique, precise, and unchanging three-word address.
With this collaboration, AxleHire clients will be able to collect what3words addresses from customers and share them within AxleHire’s delivery app, allowing drivers to deliver more efficiently and further minimize the risk of lost packages.
“A typical driver may spend 15 minutes driving around a sprawling apartment complex trying to first find the right building and then the exact unit number, wasting both time and fuel,” said Evan Robinson, VP of Engineering, AxleHire. “With what3words, the driver can see the exact 10ft square they need to go to, allowing them to find the right building and unit much more seamlessly… and with a home delivery, the driver will be able to see exactly where the customer wants their package left, ie: front, back door, near the garage, etc.”
With carefully designed technology, AxleHire has already begun to build systems to make it easier for e-commerce businesses and their customers to identify a doorstep’s location. Using a what3words address has shown to significantly reduce delivery times for partners and ensures parcels arrive exactly where they need to be. Accurate addresses also mean fewer time-consuming phone calls to customers asking for directions and an overall better customer experience. AxleHire is leading the way when it comes to thinking about what the world of digital delivery looks like, and we’re excited to work with what3words as their first last-mile delivery provider in the U.S.
“Using a what3words address has shown to significantly reduce delivery times for our partners and ensures parcels arrive exactly where they need to be. Accurate addresses also mean fewer time-consuming phone calls to customers asking for directions and an overall better customer experience. AxleHire is leading the way when it comes to thinking about what the world of digital delivery looks like, and we’re excited to work with them as our first last-mile delivery provider in the U.S.,” adds Chris Sheldrick, Co Founder & CEO of what3words.
Around the world, what3words is being used by thousands of businesses on a daily basis whether that’s logistics and e-commerce businesses ensuring goods are delivered exactly where they’re needed, or helping travelers to find the right hotel entrance or a hard-to-find restaurant. The technology has also been built into in-car navigation systems by automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover, Subaru of America and Mitsubishi, enabling drivers to enter any destination with just three words. Emergency call centers are also embracing what3words at a rapid pace, with control rooms in the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Singapore, Canada, India, and South Africa. The technology is available offline and in 54 languages to date.
About what3words
Co-founded in London in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, what3words is the simplest way to talk about location. The system covers the entire world, never needs updating, and works offline. A what3words address is a human-friendly way to share very precise locations with other people, or to input them into platforms and machines such as ride-hailing apps or e-commerce checkouts. It is optimized for voice input and contains built-in error prevention to immediately identify and correct input mistakes.
The free what3words app, available for iOS and Android, and the online map enable people to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in 53 languages to date. Millions of what3words addresses are in use around the world, with thousands of businesses using them to save money, be more efficient and provide a better customer experience. what3words is integrated into apps, platforms and websites, with just a few lines of code. Products are available for free or for a nominal fee for qualifying NGOs. Its partners include Mercedes-Benz, Triumph Motorcycles, Premier Inn, the AA and many emergency services across the world.
what3words has a team of over 150 people, across offices in the UK, USA, Germany, India, South Korea and Mongolia. The company has raised over £100 million in capital from investors such as Intel, Ingka (Ikea), Mercedes-Benz, Aramex, Deutsche Bahn, Subaru and Sony Innovation Fund.
About AxleHire
AxleHire is an expedited urban last-mile delivery service, providing customers with a superior same- and next-day delivery experience. AxleHire leverages purpose-built modern technology and a gig driver fleet to drive transformative outcomes that catalyze customers’ brand growth. Logistics teams can now provide a differentiated delivery experience at a competitive cost, overcoming the limitations of legacy delivery providers. AxleHire operates in 17 of the 25 major U.S. metro urban areas across the U.S., enabling high-volume shippers to consistently cater to the rising needs and expectations of their customers.
For more information, please visit axlehire.com.
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