The Race for Market Share: Carriers vs. Global Forwarders in Shipping

Carriers’ New Promises: Tempting Frequent Shippers

Frequent shippers are increasingly being tempted by carriers' new promises of shorter transit times, reliable schedules, and cost offsets, even in the spot market. These improvements are particularly attractive because they offer substantial benefits without requiring long-term commitments. Carriers are actively addressing traditional pain points such as schedule reliability and high costs, making their direct booking platforms more appealing than ever.

CMA CGM’s SEA REWARD: A Groundbreaking Loyalty Program

CMA CGM Group has now announced the worldwide launch of SEA REWARD, a groundbreaking loyalty program aimed at redefining the customer experience in the shipping industry. This initiative seeks to strengthen customer relationships by providing exclusive benefits for booking directly through their SpotOn booking portal, launched in 2022. Initially rolled out in Europe in March 2024, the loyalty program has seen success and is now expanding to worldwide markets including North America, Guam, and Latin America.

Unique Benefits of SEA REWARD

SEA REWARD is unique to the market, rewarding customers based on the frequency and volume of their shipments through CMA CGM’s SpotOn. This digital solution simplifies booking with instant quotes, guaranteed pricing, and priority vessel space access. Customers can redeem their accumulated Nautical Miles to offset future invoices, making this program highly beneficial for frequent shippers with no long-term commitments.

Hapag-Lloyd’s Strategic Shift Towards BCOs

This strategy aligns with broader industry trends. Hapag-Lloyd, for example, has openly committed to increasing its order book from direct shippers and BCOs compared to NVOs. Hapag-Lloyd plans to grow its BCO segment over the next few years in a bid to bring better balance to its business, but not at the expense of its forwarding customers, according to CEO Rolf Habben Jansen.