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BECKFriends.com to build a global travel meets logistics business with their new partnership program
MUMBAI: BECKFriends.com, a first-of-its-kind peer-to-peer shipping and logistics facilitator platform that integrates travel with logistics, has been recognized as a ground-breaking idea since its very beginning. Responsible for starting a completely new domain of crowdsourced shipping delivery all by itself, the platform matches shipping demand requests by merchants and SMEs to individual travelers sourced from a vast number of OTAs and travel agents, thereby ensuring every package has an assigned travel plan and vice versa. The platform’s unique partnership program, introduced last year, has facilitated the onboarding and engagement of all the stakeholders-merchants & SMEs, OTAs and the large number of travelers reached through them, opening an avenue for open interaction and efficient operations.
In a bid to pilot its engagement process, BECKFriends ran a test of its partnership programme in the latter half of 2018 by bringing several travel agents and merchants onboard. The test proved to be successful, subsequently expanding to and establishing itself among an even bigger pool of travelers through travel agents and OTAs, thereby creating on ground advocates of the brand through its new associates. On the other hand, the merchant and SME partners also helped generate demand in volumes while providing verified packages. With over 350 merchants and 150 travel agents onboard, BECKFriends is set to launch this initiative as a well-structured long-term partnership programme. Through a proactive implementation of this programme, the organization strives to amass around 1500 merchants and 750 travel agents within the coming 4-6 months.
The partnership programme is a remarkable strategic initiative by BECKFriends to disrupt, and bring together, the travel and logistics sectors. Through this programme, the platform aims to facilitate a better solution that matches and supplements the existing demand-and-supply mechanism for global shipping requests of products. The programme has strengthened BECKFriends’ ability to play the role of a matchmaker/facilitator to ensure every shipping demand is catered to by the most suitable travel plan sourced after evaluating numerous OTA platforms. In fact, the programme has become the epicenter of peer-to-peer shipping delivery focused engagement among stakeholders.
High costs, delay in services, product quality difference are just some of the factors which have made the demand for centralized peer-to-peer shipping dedicated travel a popular option for many. However, the lack of reliability and timely availability of shipping resources had kept the domain restricted. BECKFriends, with its holistic services and unique program, has given a massive boost to the domain and offered travelers an opportunity to earn between INR 2500-5000 through each delivery on an average while bringing down shipping costs for merchants by as much as one-third!
Moreover, BECKFriends’ interface offers a hassle-free and secure express shipping experience to merchants, SMEs and individual customers, which is 3X faster than a conventional courier service. The organization ensures safety and reliability through measures such as identity verification including an extensive background check of each traveler associate .
Sharing an insight into the partnership programme, Deep Malhotra, Co-founder, BECKFriends.com remarked, “The concept of requesting family, friends, and acquaintances traveling overseas to bring something back is not new. Treating it through an entrepreneurial perspective, however, is something that BECKFriends.com came up with. We have been witnessing tremendous acceptance and support for our concept. Moreover, the kind of transparent and mutually beneficial partnerships that we offer has found a deserving place among travel agents, OTAs, merchants and SMEs, as well as individual customers. Through the new partnership programme launched by our company, we aim to impact and disrupt two of the major drivers of Indian economy—the travel and the logistics industry. Considering our dedicated efforts towards it, we are certain that BECKFriends will soon be acknowledged as the largest global traveler-powered delivery network that is Made in India.”
Driven by prevailing e-commerce, increasing technological adoption, and changing customer trends, the express delivery segment in India has faced a robust growth in recent times, emerging as a key contributor to the logistics industry on a whole. While crowdsourced or peer-to-peer delivery remains a niche segment, it is gradually gaining traction piloted by organizations like BECKFriends, thereby disrupting both travel as well as logistics industries of the country. Through its new partnership programme, BECKFriends envisions to further strengthen the tremendous potential of this segment, initiating a logistical revolution in its wake that monetizes travel opportunities and accelerates shipping simultaneously.
MAM
Madison World to launch AI platform M BrAIn for media planning
Agency group invests about $1 million as it shifts to AI driven growth planning.
MUMBAI: If media planning once ran on spreadsheets and gut instinct, the next chapter may run on algorithms and curiosity. Madison World is preparing to roll out the first version of its proprietary artificial intelligence platform Madison M BrAIn in early April, as the independent agency group accelerates its transition toward AI driven planning and product led media services.
The platform, expected to involve an investment of around $1 million, is designed to reshape how the agency approaches strategy by combining internal knowledge, external data sources and advanced AI models into a single intelligence ecosystem.
According to Madison Media, OOH and Hiveminds partner and group CEO Ajit Varghese the initiative forms part of a larger structural rethink within the organisation. “Traditionally agencies built frameworks around media planning and allocation. We are redesigning that structure into what we call a Growth Planning System (GPS),” Varghese said.
The shift reflects a growing belief that effective media strategy must begin earlier in the decision making process. Instead of jumping directly to channel allocation, planners must first decode the market itself identifying consumer barriers, purchase triggers and the core challenges facing a brand.
Once those insights are mapped, agencies can build clearer growth agendas for clients and design media strategies that connect more closely with business outcomes.
To support that approach, Madison has built Madison M BrAIn as what it describes as a human AI cognitive ecosystem. Acting as a central intelligence hub, the platform aggregates proprietary insights alongside external data sources and large language models, enabling planners to access deeper market intelligence before building campaign strategies.
Varghese said one of the core objectives is to democratise knowledge across the organisation. “In the past, this level of understanding was largely available to senior leaders or experienced strategists. With Madison M BrAIn, even a junior planner should be able to access the same intelligence and approach clients with a far more informed perspective,” he said.
The agency has already implemented the new planning philosophy internally and completed three months of testing for the AI platform, with early trials showing encouraging results in terms of learning capability and system performance.
While the first version relied on global large language models, Madison is now developing its own proprietary Small Language Model (SLM) to serve as the core of the M BrAIn ecosystem.
“The SLM will be able to read global LLMs, but the LLMs cannot read the SLM,” Varghese explained. “That ensures all the intelligence we build remains within the Madison ecosystem and strengthens our proprietary knowledge base.”
The first version of Madison M BrAIn is expected to go live in early April, with a more refined version targeted by the end of June. Over time, the platform will integrate additional external data streams and APIs including consumer insight platforms, social listening tools and client datasets.
These integrations are expected to enhance the system’s learning capability and enable it to generate increasingly sophisticated strategic recommendations.
Although the platform is currently being deployed for internal use, Madison sees potential for it to evolve into a licensable product in the future.
“At the moment, our focus is to stabilise and strengthen M BrAIn internally. But over time there is potential for this to become a product that could be licensed externally,” Varghese said.
The AI platform is also part of a wider technology transformation underway at the agency group. Alongside M BrAIn, Madison is building a broader digital infrastructure called the Catalyst operating system, which aims to integrate operational processes, data and product platforms into a unified ecosystem.
This broader technology stack could require an additional $1 million to $1.5 million investment over time, though spending will be phased and reviewed regularly.
“We are evaluating progress every three months and prioritising the most critical capabilities first,” Varghese said.
Madison expects the full AI and operating ecosystem to be fully functional within 12 to 18 months, positioning the agency to combine human strategy with machine intelligence as the advertising industry enters its next data driven phase.
