Having our business proposition substantiated in such an unequivocal way has been heartening.  But by no means does this mean we can sit back and relax…

We aim to change the face of delivery, and so far we have only scratched the surface.  Proving demand is a great first step, but the biggest challenges we face in the short term are around on-boarding those retailers that want to offer Shutl to their customers.  Most commonly:

• Multichannel retailer does not currently have accurate visibility of stock in local stores and so must look at implementing a watered down version of the Shutl proposition until such visibility is available.

• Multichannel retailer has this capability, however due to complexities of the systems in place (ERP, EPOS, ecommerce) and the operational challenges, any implementation project must be fully scoped, prioritised and scheduled accordingly into their existing technology roadmap.

We’ve been putting some thought into how best to tackle these challenges. And the answer we’ve come to is probably an obvious one; partners.

Whilst we know a lot more about retail and ecommerce than we did a couple of years ago, we are still learning.  We believe the above issues can all be resolved by working with those experts that already offer value-added services to retailers.

Having spoken to a number of potential partners over recent months, we’ve started to put together a programme that we are confident will enable us to attract and incentivise the best partners.

So who will the programme target?

Provided we have shared goals and a sound basis exists for partnership, we are keen to hear from the following types of company.

• Retail consultancies: particularly firms specialising in multichannel
• Systems integrators (SIs): typically companies engaged to work on technology implementations within the retail space who are familiar with the prevailing systems in the market.
• Technology vendors: typically companies developing and selling associated technologies into the retail space (ERP, EPOS, eCommerce) to which Shutl adds value.

More information will follow in due course. The programme will be launched in the coming weeks but in the meantime if you’d like to register your interest or request further information then please send an e-mail to partners@shutl.co.uk.

Internet shopping from Rupert Greenhill on Vimeo.

New client and a new POS solution

Last week we came out of closed beta and are very excited about going live with Laithwaites, the UK direct wine retailer. We’ve developed a point of sale (POS) application which they are deploying within their flag-ship London store right next to Borough market. More information to follow in a later post…

Partnership

We’re developing a new GPS tracking facility in partnership with Bing Maps, enabling consumers to watch the progress of their delivery in real-time from within Shutl’s website. This feature will go live on 24th May. Watch this space!

Opening up…

We’ve taken a second big step forward in opening up our platform to partners. Retailers and e-commerce solution providers are now able to build their own integrations and applications. Check out the new page on our website (http://shutl.co.uk/partners/developers)

As you can see, we’re keeping pretty busy with new developments at Shutl HQ!  Would love to hear any comments or feedback that you may have?

Shoreditch based trendsetters Start are currently trialling our Shutl Later delivery service.  You can now shop online at one of the top Vogue fashion boutiques of 2010 and specify the hour in which you want your purchases to be delivered.  To fit around your busy lifestyle, the delivery window that you select is totally down to you and can be within an amazing two hours of checkout!  Prices for all this start at less than a fiver – so no more excuses that you have nothing to wear or no time to shop for an outfit for that last minute date or party!

Start London stocks a hand-picked selection of clothing and accessories both from some of the world’s leading labels and up and coming new designers.  Their online store gives you full access to their range of women’s and menswear so whether you’re after the latest Sonia Rykiel party dress, a Mr Start suit for work or you’ve just forgotten your girlfriend’s birthday,  click here to visit Start and select the Shutl delivery option upon checkout (currently not advertised until you actually check out).

We’d love to hear what you make of our delivery service, so be sure to leave feedback if you do select the Shutl later option. All comments appreciated!

Why not check out the service for yourself?

The access to information and 24/7 commercial availability provided by the internet has fundamentally changed the way we shop. Take me for example (I consider myself an average shopper). I will regularly research a product online (check reviews, price, etc.) before going and buying it in my local shop at the weekend. If the shop is any further than walking distance from home, I’ll probably ring and check that they have it in stock before I bother traipsing down on my Saturday afternoon off. One simple purchase from one shop exploiting three channels. All of which, as a customer, I expect to be staffed and ready to cater to my every whim. Man is an unforgiving beast…

As a retailer, a more effective solution – both in terms of cost and burden to the business – would be if I were to buy the item directly from their website.

Why don’t I just buy it online?
The answer is that I’m a suspicious, miserly, impatient and lazy consumer like everyone else. I still have doubts about the product (it looks too big and I’m still not sure if the colour is quite right?). I don’t want to shell out additional money for a slow delivery service and still run the risk of missing the delivery. And I really don’t want to have to spend my Saturday morning trekking out to the Royal Mail depot and queuing up…

So what do I want?
I want it all and I want it now! And if not now, then at a time that is convenient and doesn’t involve me having to leave the sofa.
Convenience is a concept that by definition implies “at a time and place that suits me”. It is hard, if not impossible, to offer shoppers a “convenient” retail proposition and only operate a single channel to market. Accessibility should not be confused with convenience.

How many channels do you need?
CAUTION: the answer is not as many as possible! In order to maximise sales and build a platform for sustainable growth you need to operate as many channels as YOUR customers habitually use. Obviously this calls into question the cost and effort required to maintain those channels, hence why an integrated multichannel strategy and underpinning solution should go hand in hand.

Ultimately it boils down to knowing what your customers expect and what they want. Top tier retailers invest huge sums in making this type of research a foundation of their decision making, however understanding your customer needs to be at the heart of every retailer’s business, whether a high street giant or a local boutique. And it doesn’t require millions. Just be sympathetic and spend some time  in your shopper’s shoes and live the experience that you offer.

Shutl wins Innovate! 2010 Pitch Slam

We are pleased to announce that we won the Innovate! 2010 London award, organized by Guidewire Group.

Tom Allason, Founder and CEO of Shutl gave a rapid-fire pitch about Shutl’s services and a panel of experts has elected Shutl as the most promising technology start up.

The Innovate! 2010 Pitch Slam which took place in London, is a global competition which identifies and promotes the top 100 technology startups via a series of over 20 regional Pitch Slam events.

The predicted numbers are huge and meaningless: the US is the larger market and is set to hit £164.3 billion by 2014. The EU lags at a forecasted total of £103.6 billion. What’s more palatable is seeing what thas means at the human level. Last year, 2009, Europeans spent an annual average of approximately €483 (£439). This amount is set to rise to €601 (£546) in 2014. A very significant change in spending behaviour.

With more than half of all consumers shopping online, the UK is the largest online retail market in Western Europe. Our online retail sales will apparently rise to some €40 billion (£36.3 billion) by 2014.

What’ll be interesting is to see how the predicted rise in online sales impacts sales across other retail channels. As high speed internet becomes ubiquitous, people will increasingly research product reviews, ratings and information online before purchasing elsewhere. Will the predicted growth in online activity cannibalise or fuel sales across all other channels? And what about the high street…?!

At Shutl we believe there is a real need for deeper cross-channel integration. In order to improve service and drive down costs, consumer demand for the convenience offered by online shopping increasingly needs to be fulfilled with stock that is located local to the consumer. The internet and the high street are therefore intrinsically linked. One cannot truly evolve without pulling the other along with it.

Let’s hope that these numbers have the happy ending that we’re expecting…

This week we completed development of our first integration modules for Magento and osCommerce.

These modules offer easy “out-of-the-box” integration for retailers running either of these two open-source platforms.  Don’t worry if you aren’t using Magento or osCommerce, there will be more to come in due course!

We aim to make it as easy as possible for retailers to offer Shutl delivery to their customers and these two modules are a great start to overcoming the time and development associated with any deployment.

Both modules will be going into production with Shutl clients within the next few weeks.

If you are a London-based retailer running either Magento or osCommerce and would like to try out Shutl– get in touch! We’d love to get your feedback and comments. Just e-mail us on info@shutl.co.uk if you’d like to find out more.

If you are using another e-Commerce platform and would like to request a module, register here and specify your platform and we will get in touch.

What is Good Customer Service?
• Nearly two-thirds (60.9%) of respondents said that a personal response to their issue was most important, while 44.3% cited speed of response as an important factor.
• The majority of respondents (57.6%) felt that the best customer service is delivered in face to face situations, while 56.9% said that they receive the worst customer service over the phone.

What drives you to make a complaint?
• Nearly a third (31.7%) of respondents answered ‘rude staff’.

So is delivering great customer service worth the hassle?
• When asked whether a good customer service experience would increase their loyalty to a brand 98.4% of respondents said ‘yes’.
• 97.7% of respondents said that experiencing bad customer service would compel them to take their business elsewhere.

Can the internet deliver innovations in customer service?
• Consumers surveyed remain split down the middle when it comes to the levels of customer service offered online. 49% of respondents have seen an improvement in customer service since the introduction of the internet whilst 51% have experienced a decline.
• Yet surprisingly, nearly a third (31.5%) voted online customer service as being the best, twice as many as those who cited over the phone offerings (15.5%).
• When asked to give an example of excellent customer service online brands Amazon and Ebay were frequently referenced, with John Lewis and Marks & Spencer regularly cited as popular high-street retail brands.

So – my key takeaways are as follows:

1. Does customer good customer service matter? A resounding yes. It’s an integral part of your brand value and is critical in building customer loyalty. If your customers do not feel valued, then they are clearly prepared to vote with their feet – and, more importantly, they will tell other people to do the same. There’s no news like bad news!

2. Problem resolution has to be personal and friendly. For those of us operating in the online world, there is little opportunity to meet with your customer face-to-face, however that does not mean that online businesses are unable to provide the best levels of customer service (despite what the 57.6% of people surveyed say above!). It simply means that your customer needs to be at the very heart of everything do. Just see the references to Amazon and eBay as excellent customer service brands. Shutl is taking notes…

Despite these crazy numbers, the online shopping experience still has some way to go. In contrast, IMRG’s Consumer Delivery Report 2010 reveals that there is an increase in concern amongst consumers about the risk of delivery failure. Despite overall satisfaction with delivery services growing by 13% – predominantly due to the increase in more convenient delivery options – 75% of consumers have experienced a complete or ‘1st time’ delivery failure.  An alarmingly high number – and a problem that we at Shutl intend to solve!

The report goes on to state that 17 out of 100 deliveries are still not completed in line with the consumer’s ideal expectations.

Just how much more will we spend once the pains around delivery are overcome?