Edenred, the leading digital platform in services and payment methods and owner of the brands Ticket, Edenred Ticket Log, Edenred Repom, Taggy, Edenred Pay, and Punto in Brazil, publicly announced in 2023 the combination of assets between its Edenred Repom operations, part of its Mobility business line, and Pagbem. The partnership signaled a new journey for both brands and created a union aimed at offering 100% digital solutions for road freight transport in Brazil, in addition to strengthening Edenred’s market leadership, driving its Beyond strategic plan focused on innovation and service expansion.
With the closing of the operation officially completed last December, Edenred Repom and Pagbem are working on strengthening their unified operational and strategic structure, and, now much stronger, they form Edenred Frete, part of Edenred’s Mobility business line in Brazil. Both brands plan to operate as a single Payment Institution (PI) authorized by the Central Bank, a factor that provides not only process simplification but also greater efficiency and regulatory compliance for customers.
“We see the current scenario as the ideal moment to accelerate. The merger with Pagbem allowed us to gain scale, further expanding our market leadership in the sector. We combined strengths that both brands had in different fields and took a significant leap in our ability to invest and innovate. We are focused on digitizing freight payments with a unique value proposition for the Brazilian market,” says Vinícios Fernandes. With over 20 years at the company, the executive now officially assumes the role of Director of Edenred Frete, after serving as director of Edenred Repom in recent years.
Unlike many mergers that result in workforce reductions, the path chosen by the brands was different, with the commercial force being unified. Now combined, the sales team has over 80 people, strategically distributed to increase the brands’ reach, driving cross-selling among the portfolio’s products.
Complete journey
With over 5 million monthly accesses on its apps and portals, Edenred Frete is already reaping the benefits of the integration between the brands. The 100% digital freight payment solution, with operations via app and WhatsApp, has been growing increasingly, especially among small and medium-sized carriers, offering an efficient alternative to informal payments like checks and freight letters, which provide little or no legal security and complicate financial control for customers, in addition to exposing them to fines.
At the same time, Edenred Frete remains the only one in the market to offer a complete digital journey, from payment to trip completion, with digital delivery proof collection, minimal points of contact, and greater autonomy for drivers and carriers. Additionally, three months after the operations unification, a 5% improvement in service levels has already been recorded, according to customer evaluations at the relationship center. According to Fernandes, the expectation is to achieve a 15% increase in this metric by the end of the year.
Freight costs rise, and management becomes more essential
With freight prices on the rise and a positive harvest forecast, the sector faces challenges but also opportunities for growth. Edenred Frete remains ready to offer customers management tools that help control expenses and automate payment processes. With a network of accredited stations spread across Brazil, Fernandes highlights the goal of offering digital solutions and facilitating customer operations by transforming their accredited stations into advanced service points for customers.
“Agribusiness is one of our main pillars, and with the merger, we have become even more capable of serving this sector, whose importance to the Brazilian economy only grows. The combination of assets will allow us to invest even more in this segment,” reinforces Fernandes.
Future: hub of solutions for truck drivers
As next steps in this new phase for the brands, further investments in freight digitization are planned, which already features a 100% digital journey from end to end, including transactions without the use of a physical card, as well as freight settlement through image recognition. Edenred Frete’s focus is to increasingly enhance the digital experience and accelerate daily processes, increasing productivity, agility, and efficiency. Additionally, there are plans to offer aggregated services, resulting from partnerships with other brands, so that truck drivers have the main tools available on a single platform.
