Emirates SkyCargo has enhanced its digital landscape for cargo operations by introducing eQuote.

The launch, which provides customers with real-time data and information, represents a significant milestone in the airline’s ongoing digitisation strategy, which aims to enhance customer experience, streamline operations, and drive greater efficiencies.

eQuote is a digital self-service tool available on e-SkyCargo that allows customers to request and manage their spot quotations 24/7.

Emirates SkyCargo noted that the solution will be "progressively rolled out" globally and will incorporate the majority of products, including highly sensitive shipments such as the Life Sciences and Healthcare portfolio and high-value transfers such as Emirates Wheels.

eQuote also provides customers with a higher level of choice, control and flexibility in accessing the airline’s world-class products and services.

"Accelerating digital transformation is a key pillar of our strategic roadmap, which will ensure we remain one of the leading partners for the world's rapidly evolving supply chains," said Matthew Scott, vice president of pricing and interline at Emirates SkyCargo.

"Integrating intuitive and reliable digital tools into our customer journey is essential, as more customers become accustomed to a swift and seamless experience, empowered with real-time data to streamline their daily operations."

"The launch of eQuote is a natural enhancement to our digital offering, further enriching the exceptional customer service that Emirates SkyCargo is renowned for," he added.

Emirates SkyCargo noted that it has been steadily and successfully integrating digital solutions into its operations, unlocking incremental value and optimizing processes.

Across its vast global network, Emirates SkyCargo has seen a significant uptick in digital adoption – now accounting for more than 60% of all bookings. General cargo remains the number one commodity booked digitally, closely followed by perishable and pharmaceutical shipments, indicating the maturity of the digital landscape given the complex requirements for temperature-sensitive freight.

In response to this growing demand, Emirates SkyCargo said it established its presence on three of the biggest digital marketplaces, along with the leading Transport Management Systems, most frequently used by freight forwarders worldwide: WebCargo, cargo.one, CargoAi and CargoWise.

"For customers, this means Emirates SkyCargo offers are present wherever the customer wishes to book, offering an array of benefits including direct access to make bookings, visibility on schedules, tariff and contract rates, along with real-time access to available capacity, enabling immediate bookings 24/7," the announcement said.

At the launch of eQuote, Emirates SkyCargo said it made five core products available on digital marketplaces, allowing for the transport of perishables, general cargo and urgent shipments; this has now been expanded to more speciality products, including pharmaceuticals.

The airline also increased the weight break limitation to three tonnes, allowing more shipments to be booked digitally.

Building on the early results of air freight aggregators, Emirates SkyCargo said it worked with key global customers, Kuehne+Nagel and DB Schenker to initiate direct host-to-host connections, building the airline's available capacity, schedules and rates into these customers’ internal booking engines.

Emirates SkyCargo said it has also completed a full refresh of its owned digital channels, including e-SkyCargo and SkyCargo.com, enriching the existing websites to be more efficient, useful and impactful to customers and stakeholders.

e-SkyCargo, the airline's registered user portal, has been simplified to enhance the user experience with evolved functionality that prioritizes usability. SkyCargo.com, the airline's main website, has also undergone a full rebrand, with a more intuitive design, improved mobile-friendliness, and enhanced accessibility features to improve navigation.

Looking ahead, Emirates SkyCargo said digitisation will remain a key priority for the freight carrier and the wider air freight industry.

"By harnessing the collected booking data, Emirates SkyCargo will evaluate micro and macro trends against live data to better adjust schedules, frequencies, product capabilities, routes and more to ensure customers worldwide get the goods they need when they need them."