PackagePortal is a Web3.0, supply chain blockchain platform that enables online retailers to scan shipping labels with their mobile device. This provides authentic delivery confirmations and direct consumer reviews.
Users are incentivized with cryptocurrency to provide feedback on products, delivery experiences, verified reviews and surveys. PackagePortal’s user data provides retailers with incredible new data points and insights into the consumer experience and their logistical operations.
In this written interview with J.G. Whitley, we discuss the latest developments, news, and utility of PackagePortal.
Q: PackagePortal is a decentralized logistics protocol of the Zilliqa ecosystem. What is PackagePortal’s main point of difference compared to other protocols and who are your main competitors?
Big techs mine user data to be sold to the highest bidder. PackagePortal inverts that model and equips users to mine crypto with their data. Consumer data is valuable and we want creators to own and control that value. Our platform also puts consumers in control of the delivery experience by enabling them to give the last word in the fulfillment process.
We don’t have any direct competitors offering a solution to the problem we’ve solved with delivery confirmation and we have a US utility patent pending on that IP.
There are, however, companies like TrustPilot, Fetch Rewards, and The Shop App who offer surveys, reviews, rewards or order tracking. None of them do it like us, and none of them offer the robust value capture and compelling incentive that our platform provides.
Q: Can you introduce your team to the readers? What relevant experience do they have and what projects have inspired them in their designs?
Our US based company is led by founders JG. Whitley (CEO) and Gabriel Chaney (CTO), both based in Phoenix, AZ. Gabe is a full-stack developer with over a decade of experience leading engineering teams through product launches and startup acquisitions.
I’m an entrepreneur from the e-commerce logistics space. Having owned a retail delivery company for the last ten years, I learned of smart contracts from one of my delivery drivers in January of 2018. By the end of that year, I was exploring ways to apply my domain expertise to the blockchain, and Gabe and I got started in the summer of 2019.
In those first few months, we were joined by two engineers both located in Boston, MA. Collectively, the team all went full-time in June and we’ve made amazing progress in the past year.
Q: How did you achieve your funding requirements; was it from an exclusive token sale or private funding?
Being a US entity seeking to do real business means that we’ve never conducted any token sales whatsoever; no ICO or private sales, we simply bootstrapped for two years and launched a liquidity pool on a DEX. In the spring of 2021, we had a huge growth spike of users and token holders. We were able to conservatively liquidate a small percentage of treasury tokens for operational funding.
Q: How can users interact with PackagePortal? What are the main apps that they can explore and use? Do you have any advice for readers using PackagePortal?
Users are able to download the app today from the app stores, and instantly create a non-custodial wallet simply with their email address. They can then start to complete surveys to begin earning, and confirm deliveries as they come to earn more tokens.
Users can claim XPORT (ecosystem tokens) and swap them to PORT (public tokens) in the mobile app, and never worry about gas. They can easily stake PORT to earn more, or swap it to other cryptos.
Q: Are there already concrete plans for when PackagePortal will be adapted? What will the first mainstream use-case be?
Our global user base is expected to grow significantly over the course of this year, and we have a number of partnerships and integrations being actively developed to ensure mass adoption is within reach.
Our frictionless onboarding process that allows non-crypto natives to set up a wallet and interact with the blockchain is creating a wide open door to anyone around the world who shops online.
Q: Where will users come from? Will external logistic providers compete to partner with PackagePortal?
Our user profile is anyone who shops online but even if you don’t have packages being delivered often, you can still earn by completing daily 10 second surveys. Because our platform is so easy to use, word of mouth has been phenomenal. Crypto natives have a way to introduce others to token ownership without needing to risk funds or have technical prowess.
We anticipate lots of user growth coming as we onboard merchants to the platform, and they in turn begin to market us to their customers. The more shoppers a merchant signs up for the more data they get access to, and it becomes exponentially beneficial for them to integrate and advertise us, creating a whirlwind effect of growth.
Q: What do you think the future of logistics will look like? How decentralized can the experience and self-monetization of user data really be?
I think that the actual delivery services will remain centralized to some extent for a long time still. That’s because of operational oversight of warehousing, line hauls, and sortation crews. However, the data surrounding delivery should be broken out of the silos controlled by delivery companies, and be placed in the hands of the buyer and seller, not the transporter.
As for the monetization of one’s own data, I believe this to be the natural evolution of life adapting to technological innovations. The existing internet is entirely structured for user data mining and selling to advertisers. However, technology being introduced today is allowing us to divert value created to the creator. Some things in the crypto world are short lived trends; self-monetization of user data is not one of them.
Q: How secure is PackagePortal? In its current state, what type of information and checks can users access? What are its limitations?
We underwent extensive probing last year and introduced high level security protocols at the app level. We also recently had our smart contracts audited by Soken Security, and just completed extensive penetration testing by Bishop Fox to gain Google’s official approval to integrate Gmail order imports.
Q: What is the benefit of the PORT token? Does it have governance rights or other utilities? How does this compare to XPORT and MPORT tokens?
Firstly, PORT acts as a membership token that merchants must have in order to access consumer data. Retailers will pay us a monthly fee, but they will also acquire the token to be held as a perpetual license.
PORT is also the rewards token for users of the ecosystem. App users earn XPORT for completing surveys and rating deliveries, and they can then convert XPORT into PORT, right in the app. Since PORT is publicly traded (and XPORT is not) users can stake, swap, or sell those tokens as they wish.
XPORT and MPORT are both internal rewards tokens with no external market value. MPORT is locked until all XPORT has been mined. They both exist as a public unit of measure that is privately owned by a user. We will soon introduce ways for these tokens to be redeemed directly for Bitcoin and other non-blockchain prizes.
Q: What does the future of staking look like within PackagePortal? Will users be able to stake XPORT and MPORT?
There are no plans for staking XPORT and MPORT. However, PORT staking will continue into the future. The Dock Contract that offers 19% APY was set to go for one year and will expire in December of 2022, so make use of it while it lasts. The Buoy Contract will continue indefinitely and we plan to deploy more buoys on other blockchain networks, enabling users to stake PORT natively on their favorite chain.
Q: Are there any exciting updates, announcements, or partnerships coming up in the immediate future that you can disclose today?
We’re super excited about the Gmail integration launching in a few weeks, because this will auto import all tracking numbers and orders for a user, making it very easy to track deliveries and confirm them.
We’re also energized by our Lightning Network integration, which will allow users to convert XPORT into Sats. Both of these features are coming this summer. Afterwards, we’ll turn our attention towards developing a PackagePortal plugin for Shopify.
Q: Where is the best place for the community to interact with you?
Twitter is the best place to stay informed on official news and updates. Telegram offers official and non-official chats, with other approved groups for various languages.
Q: Why is Staking Rewards the best partner for your project?
Staking Rewards is the de facto aggregator for its namesake. We are proud of our platform and want people to learn about our product and our staking options, so this partnership is quite harmonious for us.
Conclusion
PackagePortal presents some very exciting opportunities. If you’re an online merchant or retailer that would like to know what your shoppers think when they get your package, then reach out to PackagePortal for a chat: [email protected].
Staking Rewards profile: https://www.stakingrewards.com/earn/package-portal/.
How to stake $PORT: https://www.stakingrewards.com/journal/how-to-stake-your-packageportal-port/