Edenred, the leading digital platform in services and payment methods and owner of the Ticket, Edenred Ticket Log, Edenred Repom, Taggy, Edenred Pay, and Punto brands in Brazil, publicly announced in 2023 the asset combination between its Edenred Repom operations, a brand of its Mobility business line, and Pagbem. The partnership signaled a new journey for both brands and created a union with the goal of offering 100% digital solutions for freight transportation by road in Brazil, as well as strengthening Edenred's leadership in the market, driving its Beyond strategic plan focused on innovation and service expansion.
With theclosingOfficial of the operation in the last month of 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 clients.
"We see the current scenario as the ideal moment to accelerate. The merger with Pagbem has allowed us to gain scale, further expanding our market leadership in the sector. We combined the strengths that both brands possessed in different areas and made 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," he states.Vinícios FernandesWith over 20 years in the company, the executive now officially assumes the role ofEdenred Freight Director, after serving as director of Edenred Repom in recent years.
Unlike many mergers, which involve a reduction in the workforce, the approach chosen by the brands was different, with the sales force being unified. Now, the sales team has more than 80 people, strategically distributed to increase the brands' reach, driving thecross-sellingamong the products in the portfolio.
Full-time
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 such as checks and freight letters, which provide little or no legal security, as well as making financial control difficult for clients, in addition to subjecting 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 the completion of the trip, with digital delivery receipt collection, minimal points of contact, and greater autonomy for drivers and carriers. Furthermore, three months after the unification of operations, a 5% improvement in service levels has already been recorded, according to customer evaluations at the contact center. According to Fernandes, the expectation is to achieve a 15% increase in this metric by the end of the year.
Shipping goes up, and management becomes more essential
With freight prices rising and a positive harvest forecast, the scenario presents challenges for the sector but can also boost it. Edenred Frete is ready to offer clients management tools that help control expenses and automate payment processes. With a network of authorized stations spread throughout Brazil, Fernandes emphasizes the goal of offering digital solutions and facilitating clients' operations by transforming their authorized stations into advanced service stations for customers.
"Agro-business is one of our main pillars, and with the merger, we become even more capable of serving this sector, whose importance to the Brazilian economy is only growing. The combination of assets will allow us to invest even more in this segment," reinforces Fernandes.
Future: solution hub for truck drivers
As the next steps in this new phase of the brands, further investments are planned in freight digitization, which already features a 100% digital end-to-end journey, including transactions without the use of physical cards, as well as freight payment through image recognition. Edenred Frete's focus is to continuously improve the digital experience and accelerate daily processes, increasing productivity, agility, and efficiency. Additionally, there are plans to offer value-added services, resulting from partnerships with other brands, so that truck drivers have the main tools available on a single platform.
