How we transformed a local shipping SME into an international digital platform

The initial context

Auguste IMS had built a solid reputation in shipping bulky parcels between Belgium and West Africa, primarily to Senegal. Their loyal customer base, made up of individuals from the Senegalese diaspora and associations, trusted them to ship what truly matters: fridges for family back home, mattresses to equip a school, suitcases full of memories.

But behind this great growth story lay a less flattering reality: their digital tools were no longer keeping up.

The problematic situation:

Their website had become obsolete and no longer reflected the professionalism of their services. The aging brand image gave the impression of a small artisanal structure, while Auguste IMS was actually managing hundreds of monthly shipments with a well-oiled logistics operation.

The process was largely manual: customers called to request a quote, the team manually calculated rates based on item type, volume, and destination. Then came the appointment scheduling for drop-off or collection, noted in a paper diary before being transferred to a digital system. Payments were made in cash or by bank transfer, complicating traceability.

The result: an overwhelmed team spending their days on the phone answering the same questions, recalculating prices, managing schedules. A high abandonment rate among prospects who simply wanted a quick estimate. And above all, an inability to scale the business without massive hiring.

The growth ambition:

Auguste IMS didn't want to remain a local company. Their vision was clear: become the leader in bulky parcel shipping between Europe and West Africa.

Their expansion plan included:

• France: a natural market with a large African diaspora
• Netherlands and Luxembourg: a Benelux extension already underway
• Ivory Coast and Guinea: diversification of African destinations

But to get there, they needed a digital tool capable of supporting this ambition. A website that inspires confidence, works in multiple languages, automates processes, and can quickly adapt to new markets.

Project objectives

By analyzing their needs with the Auguste IMS team, we identified 6 major objectives:

1. Completely modernize the brand identity

Their visual identity was several years old. The logo lacked modernity, the colors didn't convey the trust necessary for an international shipping service. Everything needed to be rethought to project reliability and professionalism.

2. Create an intelligent simulation system

The core problem: allow customers to estimate the cost of their shipment themselves, regardless of how they think about their delivery (volume, containers, individual items). A simulator that needs to be accurate, intuitive, and capable of handling complex combinations.

3. Digitalize the end-to-end experience

No more calls to request a quote. No more hand-written appointments. Customers needed to be able to do everything online: simulate, order, choose their time slot, pay, track their parcel. Complete autonomy that frees up the team for truly value-added tasks.

4. Drastically reduce the phone workload

The team was spending 60% of their time on the phone for simple questions or quote requests. The goal: automate these exchanges to refocus people on customer service and solving complex problems.

5. Prepare for international expansion

The website needed to be built for international use from the start: multilingual (FR, EN, NL with the ability to easily add other languages), adapted to different shipping zones, capable of handling multiple currencies, with an architecture that can evolve without major rebuilding.

6. Create a reliable payment system

Accept online payments securely, automatically generate invoices, prepare integration with their future Odoo ERP. A system that inspires confidence and simplifies accounting.

Our strategic approach

This project required a global vision. No question of simply making a "showcase website" or developing isolated features. We needed to build a coherent digital ecosystem.

Phase 1: Brand identity overhaul

Before even touching the website, we worked on the brand identity. Because a beautiful site with an outdated logo just doesn't work.

Redesigned logo with a modern typography that breathes professionalism. Abandoning overly complex shapes for a simplicity that leaves a mark.

New color palette centered on blue, the universal color of trust and reliability. Essential for a shipping service where customers entrust precious belongings.

Consistent artistic direction applied across all materials: website, administrative documents, client communications. A uniformity that reinforces credibility.

Phase 2: Technical architecture built to last

We built the site on WordPress, but not just any way. The architecture needed to support:

Scalability: being able to add new features without rebuilding everything.

‍Performance: optimized loading times even with complex forms.

‍Native multilingual: clean management of 3 languages (FR, EN, NL) with the ability to easily add more.

‍SEO: structure optimized to be visible on shipping-related searches.

‍Analytics: complete tracking with GA4, Hotjar, Meta Pixel to understand user behavior.

Phase 3: Custom business tool development

This is where the real complexity lay: creating features that transform the user experience while radically simplifying the work of the Auguste IMS team.

Technical solutions developed

1. The intelligent shipping simulator: 3 modes for 3 ways of thinking

The main challenge was that each customer thinks about their shipment differently. Some know the exact dimensions, others think in "containers", others have specific items. We created a 3-entry system:

Volume Mode (calculation in m³): For customers who know their precise dimensions. Input of length/width/height, automatic volume calculation, application of the corresponding rate grid. Ability to add multiple packages with different dimensions in the same order.

Standard Containers Mode: For those who think in "bags", "trunks", "barrels" or other classic containers. Each container has a predefined volume and associated rate. The customer simply chooses the quantity of each type. The system automatically calculates the total volume and price.

Individual Items Mode: This is the most used mode. We created detailed product sheets for each type of commonly shipped item: fridge (with different sizes), mattress (single/double/queen), TV (by inches), suitcases, bikes, armchairs, etc.

Each sheet contains:

• Reference photos
• Average dimensions
• Automatically calculated volume
• Rate by destination
• Specific packaging advice

Customers can mix modes in the same order: 2 boxes (volume), 1 standard trunk (container), 1 fridge (specific item). The system aggregates everything and calculates the total rate.

2. The automated multilingual ordering system

Once the simulation is complete, the customer places an order via a form developed with FluentForm, intelligently connected to the Auguste IMS ecosystem.

Adaptive form by language‍

Fields automatically adapt to the chosen language (FR, EN, NL). Not just translation: date formats, phone numbers, and addresses are adapted to local standards.

Make.com connection for automation

‍Upon form submission:

• Information is sent to Google Calendar with the correct time slot (morning 8am-12pm, afternoon 12pm-5pm, evening 5pm-8pm)
• A personalized confirmation email is sent to the customer in their language
• Data is exported to the Auguste IMS logistics system
• A notification is sent to the team to prepare for collection or drop-off

Time slot system‍

Customers choose not only the day but also the time of day. The system checks availability in real time via the Google Calendar API and only offers available slots. No more scheduling conflicts.

3. Secure online payment

Integration of two complementary payment solutions:

Mollie: for card payments, with multi-currency management (primarily EUR, but prepared for other currencies during expansion).

PayPal: widely used by the diaspora for its convenience and buyer protection.

The amount is automatically calculated based on:

• Total volume of items/parcels
• Destination
• Any additional services (insurance, special packaging)

After payment, an invoice is automatically generated with all shipment details. The system is designed to easily integrate with Odoo, the new ERP planned for January.

4. Transactional emails throughout the journey

We set up a system of automatic emails at each stage:

• Order confirmation with summary
• Reminder 24h before collection/drop-off
• Confirmation of parcel acceptance
• Notification of arrival at transit hub
• Arrival at destination alert
• Automatic follow-up if parcel not collected within 48h

Each email is personalized, in the customer's language, with a design consistent with the new brand guidelines.

5. Custom back-office for the team

We developed a custom administration interface that allows the Auguste IMS team to:

• View all current orders
• Filter by status, date, destination
• Export data for logistics (CSV/Excel formats)
• Manage product sheets (add new items, modify rates)
• Create and publish blog articles for SEO
• Access conversion and usage statistics

The interface is intuitive, even for non-technical users. We organized a 2-hour training session with the team to ensure optimal onboarding.

6. Tracking and continuous optimization

Implementation of a complete monitoring ecosystem:

Google Analytics 4: user journey, conversion rates, most visited pages, form abandonment

Hotjar: heatmaps to see where users click, session recordings to identify friction points

Meta Pixel: retargeting to recover users who abandoned

These tools allow continuous improvement of the experience and rapid identification of issues.

Measurable results

Three months after launching the new platform, the results are already significant:

Transformation of the customer experience

Complete autonomy: 78% of customers complete their order without calling the team

Conversion rate multiplied by 2.4 on quote requests compared to the old site

Rising customer satisfaction: positive feedback on the clarity of the process and price transparency

Reinforced trust: the new branding and ability to pay online have considerably improved the perception of professionalism

Drastically improved operational efficiency

65% reduction in incoming calls for simple questions or quote requests

12 hours per week saved on schedule management thanks to Google Calendar automation

Zero data entry errors in orders (previously, around 8% contained errors due to phone note-taking)

Automated invoicing: 6 hours per week saved on invoice generation and sending

Better retention: automatic follow-ups increased the parcel collection rate by 23%

Solid foundation for international expansion

Operational multilingual architecture: Dutch language added in just 2 days

Technical preparation for new destinations: adding a country to the simulator in under an hour

Validated scalable system: the platform handles a 300% traffic increase during peak periods (holidays, back-to-school) without issue

International SEO: positioning on key search queries in France, Belgium and the Netherlands

Overall business impact

42% revenue increase in the first 3 months (combination of better conversion rate + geographic expansion)

156 new customers acquired through the website (vs 34 in the same period the previous year)

Average order value up 18% thanks to the ease of adding multiple parcels to one order

Enhanced brand image: Auguste IMS now receives partnership requests from other logistics players impressed by their professionalism

What the client says

"Working with Numeon was a real turning point for Auguste IMS. They didn't just build a website, they understood our business, our constraints, our ambitions. Today, our platform is our best salesperson. It works for us 24/7, and allows us to focus on what we do best: providing impeccable shipping service. The reduction in incoming calls allowed us to redeploy our team toward improving customer service and preparing our international expansion. It was exactly what we needed."

— Auguste IMS Team

What's next

Our collaboration with Auguste IMS doesn't stop at launch. We're accompanying the team through:

Phase 2 (ongoing): Integration with the Odoo ERP for even smoother invoicing and logistics management

Phase 3 (Q1 2025): Development of a customer portal where users can track all their shipments in real time, access their history, and manage their information

Phase 4 (Q2 2025): Deployment of a mobile app to further simplify the experience, particularly for taking photos of parcels before shipping

Continuous optimization: monthly data analysis and adjustments to constantly improve conversion rates

Is your business ready for its digital transformation?

The Auguste IMS project perfectly illustrates our approach: we don't just build websites, we create digital ecosystems that support your growth ambitions.

Whether you're in logistics, e-commerce, B2B or B2C services, if your digital tool is slowing your development rather than accelerating it, we should talk.

Let's book 30 minutes to discuss your project →

P.S. If you recognize yourself in Auguste IMS's initial situation (manual processes, outdated site, growth ambitions), know that solutions exist. And they're probably more accessible than you think.