Muse! Pulp! Jimmy Eat World! It all kicks off at Reading and Leeds tomorrow, and we’ve got festival fever. Of course, your boss has just handed you a pile of work because you’re taking Friday off and you’re going to be in the office until at least 8… And you only discovered last night that your tent is mouldy and you have nothing to wear. Luckily, Shutl are looking out for you! Order from your essentials from Argos, get a quick makeover at Oasis, and snap up a bargain at Warehouse – all within 90 minutes!
1. Shelter
If you need a tent, you can’t go wrong with this stylish pop-up number. It will save you time pitching so you can arrive is style and get right into partying. It’s distinctive enough to stand out from the crowd, without screaming “steal me” and best of all, it’s less than half price!
2. Sleep
If it suddenly looks like the flimsy summer sleeping bag you packed just isn’t going to cut it, and have no space to pack wooly socks and a hat to sleep in, upgrade your sleeping bag to a 500gsm – it’s like a cocoon shaped hug, protecting you from the elements as those around you shiver in the August downpours.
3. Fashion
If you just can’t get your head around Wellies, and are confident you’ll be able to blag your way into the carpeted bliss of the VIP section, these boots will look fantastic with some shorts and a vest top. What’s more they will last you all the way though autumn! Team them with this amazing cardy, and you’ll be the chicest chica in the arena!
Finally, if you’re really stuck for something to wear, there is always that fail-safe festival favourite – the humble playsuit. Comfortable yet stylish, it allows you to get a tan without stripping off, and you can piggy back on your mate’s shoulders without giving everyone trying to get a glimpse of Jarvis Cocker an eyeful! We love this one from Warehouse: and with the special offer on at the moment; it could be Shutl’d to you for just 90p!
A huge thanks to BT Expedite and Retail Week for a fantastic awards night. With 500+ attendees representing the leading innovators within retail – and rather a lot of wine – it was a very serious event..
We are honoured that the panel of judges chose Argos and Shutl for the ‘Supply Chain Excellence’! With John Lewis, Sony and the Co-op all in the running, they must have had their work cut out… but we’re thrilled with their decision.
The Retail Week Technology Awards recognise the very best in UK retail innovation. Since launching 15 years ago, the awards have grown to become the biggest and most prestigious event in the industry calendar. They attract the best-known names in the sector, and there is no greater accolade in the retail industry than to win one of the coveted trophies.
So, why did Argos and Shutl win?
Delivery is the single greatest reason that an online shopper drops out of checkout. It is also the single greatest reason that offline shoppers don’t shop online. Shutl solves the delivery problem by enabling online shoppers to select one of two highly compelling delivery options:
1. Immediate delivery within as little as 90 minutes (“Shutl Now”) 2. Convenient delivery within a 1 hour delivery window of their choice (“Shutl Later”)
Both these delivery options are available at a comparable price to standard delivery (from £4.95), and have regularly been offered for free when the customer spends over £50. Customers can also track their orders and watch them “shutling” their way to them in real time on a GPS enabled map.
How has this benefited Argos?
Strategic:
Shutl provides Argos, owner of the most visited UK high street website, with a sustainable competitive advantage over its online and offline competitors. What Argos has excelled at for a decade now is allowing customers to shop across channels in a way that suits them. ‘Check & Reserve’ – Argos’ pioneering online reservation and store collection service – is the Argos sales channel currently experiencing the biggest growth, with a quarter of all Argos customers using the service. Currently utilising the Shutl proposition across all their Greater London stores, Argos has succeeded in offering customers yet another shopping solution.
Shutl enables Argos to leverage their crucial advantage that a pure-play competitor will never have – stock located local to the consumer – to offer a delivery proposition that is compelling enough to aid their ability to attract and retain customers. By keeping delivery distances short, Shutl is able to keep this proposition cost-effective in relation to traditional delivery options. This is also a proposition that would be hard to replicate for a multichannel retailer that does not have a similarly sophisticated stock management system, empowering the customer purchasing decision at an individual store level.
Economic:
• Payment is taken online for Shutl orders, meaning 100% of Shutl reservations result in a sale, which negates the restocking issues Argos experiences when customers do not purchase their stocked in and reserved items.
• Shutl minimises the cost of failed deliveries by enabling the shopper to select the exact time window for their delivery. Along with the real-time tracking – allowing customers to see exactly where the courier is in relation to their delivery address – shoppers can now make sure that they are available to take receipt of their items.
• Shutl orders have seen an increase in AOV versus Argos’ ‘non-Shutl’ Check & Reserve orders over the same period. Despite the huge success of Check & Reserve, Shutl further optimises conversion within the channel by taking payment up front for reservations.
Customer satisfaction:
Shutl asks every customer to provide feedback after they’ve taken receipt of their delivery, so we can share the response we’ve had back from the customers themselves, scoring across ease of use, value for money, speed of delivery and their delivery person. This form also includes a net promoter question. So far the results have been as follows:
• 27% customers leave feedback (in context, both Shutl and Argos view this as a phenomenal response rate)
• Average feedback score is 94%
• Net promoter score = 78% (with 85% of customers scoring the service a 9-10 / 10 in terms of their likelihood of recommending the service to a colleague or friend)
To make your bank holiday weekend extra special, we’ve pulled together a few ideas that will make things run a little smoother – whether you’re planning a family gathering at home, or heading out to a party.
1. BBQ
If you order charcoal in advance of your BBQ, you might as well be doing a rain dance. Instead, order from Argos and get Shutl’d to you on the day so that you can be sure the sun is shining. And if you think we’re in for a ‘barbecue summer’, you might even choose to upgrade your hardware… after all Argos is the catalogue of dreams.
2. Fizz If you’re going to be hosting people, there’s nothing nicer than being able to relax outside with a glass of bubbly… and in the spirit of the upcoming Wedding, why not ditch the fancy French stuff and opt instead for some English fizz?
Head over to the Laithwaites Vinopolis store, test drive some South Ridge Sparkling Wine and while you’re there maybe see if their wonderful staff can help you pick the perfect match for your Easter feast.
At the till, be sure to ask for your order to be Shutl’d, leaving you to enjoy a gentle stroll along the South Bank without being weighed down by bottles. And if you don’t want to drop by the store, just place an order over the phone by calling 0207 407 6378, and asking for Shutl delivery.
3. A Gorgeous Dress
We adore Oasis’ style tips and they’ve impressed us yet again with their 3 holiday looks. We especially love this dress, which will not only wow everyone at an Easter party, but can easily be dressed up with heels and a hat for weddings in summer, or teamed with a blazer for work. Alternatively, you could go funky with this little number from Karen Millen, and ensure you’ll not only look drop dead gorgeous, but really stand out from the crowd! Have these Shutl’d to your home or office in just 90 minutes to get in the holiday spirit even sooner!
4. Easter Hamper
Treat your loved one to a fantastically decadent picnic with this gorgeous Luxury Spring Hamper. Perfect if you accidentally ruin lunch, or if you’d simply rather laze around in the sunshine than be locked in the kitchen for hours. Order online from TrueDeli and put your feet up!
5. Paddling Pool
Keeping the kids entertained is always a challenge, and especially so when there is extended family around and you have far too many other things to worry about. With the possibility of sunny weather and BBQs on the cards, perhaps Shutling a paddling pool from Argos will solve all your problems? Leave Grandma to watch over the splashing (and to get soaked from head to toe) while you tend the barbie. And once the sun sets and the kids go to bed, throw in a bag of ice: no better place exists for keeping your beers cool!
Check out our detailed instructions on how to Shutl from Argos,Oasis and Karen Millen. True Deli delivery is Shutl as standard.
We’re exceptionally proud of the results that the project has yielded to date, and of the significant value we’re generating for Argos in terms of improved average order value and customer satisfaction. Of course, the greatest yard stick is what shoppers are saying about the service.
To date, over 30% of Shutl customers have left feedback rating the service at an average of 94%, with an average net promoter score (NPS) of 81% – a score that would put Shutl comfortably ahead of Apple as leader in UK NPS rankings! We reckon our customers to be 2-3x happier than traditional delivery customers.
Not bad going for a ‘supply chain’ innovation? Of course we would never think to influence the venerable judging panel who will certainly draw their own conclusions.
The awards will be announced at the Hilton Hotel on 14th June –in the meantime we’ll be keeping our fingers tightly crossed!
Last week our friends over at Argos triumphed at the Retail Week Awards, winning Multichannel Retailer of the Year. They staved off competition from the likes of Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and Halfords, and were especially commended for the ease and multitude of ways in which one can buy from Argos.
Moreover they were praised for their innovative new iPhone app, and a certain nifty little 90-minute delivery service that they offer within London! Retail Week recommends that Argos’s example be followed by other multichannel retailers… and we are inclined to agree! Their drive to innovate and willingness to trial new and exciting concepts that improve the value & convenience of their offering have given them a razor-sharp edge that keeps them at the forefront of multichannel retail.
We are immensely proud to be part of their fantastic success, albeit a very small part.
And it looks like their multi-channel strategy is working when they are able to ‘out innovate’ Amazon. Check out what one of our customers had to say yesterday:
Given the demand for this ‘must have’ gadget, queues on the high street are likely to go out the door, round the corner and down the road.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get your hands on a 3DS today without wasting your day in a queue?
Good news… like all things worthwhile, the 3DS is stocked within the catalogue of dreams. Simply reserve the item at a Central London store on Argos.co.uk and then once you have confirmed your order choose to get it Shutl’d to you.
Shutl will deliver it to you within as little as 90 minutes or at a time of your choice from just £4.95. You could even get it delivered straight to the pub for maximum show-off value.
Here’s how it works: Shutl delivery is currently available from the following 12 Argos stores:
• Whitechapel
• Old Street
• Holborn
• New Oxford Street
• Camden
• Marble Arch
• Victoria
• Kilburn
• Hammersmith
• Old Kent Road
• Kensington
• Shepherd’s Bush
To place your order just follow these simple steps: 1. Find the Nintendo 3DS on argos.co.uk (by clicking on the “Shop now” button at the bottom of this post) and check local stock .
2. Reserve the item for store pick-up from one of the 12 participating Argos stores.
3. When offered Shutl delivery, click ‘Calculate my quote’.
4. Confirm your delivery postcode and choose your shutl delivery option to get a quote.
A lot of the people we speak to think about Shutl in the context of Argos – our ‘big’ client. Whilst this is entirely forgivable, it is also somewhat problematic for us for 2 reasons:
1) Whilst we are very proud of our work with Argos, the implementation is not exactly a poster-child for our service since Shutl is currently only offered to shoppers who have made a reservation from a participating Argos store.
2) Since Argos is a very very very large retailer, some SMEs are under the impression that implementing Shutl is beyond their means.
Over the last few months we’ve been working with our friends over at POD1 to develop a shiny new Shutl module for Magento, the world’s fastest growing ecommerce platform. The module, which shows off the full capabilities of Shutl, will allow Magento customers (mainly SMEs) to quickly,, easily and cheaply offer Shutl.
If you would like to be one of the first retailers to try out the module, please comment below or drop us an email to: info@shutl.co.uk
(Screenshots below are taken from our demo environment).
About POD1
POD1 are a creative digital agency who specialise in designing beautiful, commercially focused websites that optimise the online customer experience. They have a dedicated ecommerce design team who are all specialists in getting the maximum from the Magento platform.
POD1’s e-Commerce clients include: Uniqlo, Kurt Geiger, Jigsaw, Coast, Links of London and Matthew Williamson to name but a few…
About Magento
Magento is a feature-rich, professional open-source ecommerce solution that offers merchants complete flexibility and control over the look, content, and functionality of their online store. Magento’s intuitive administration interface contains powerful marketing, merchandising and content management tools to give merchants the power to create sites that are tailored to their unique business needs. Completely scalable and backed by an extensive support network, Magento offers companies the ultimate ecommerce solution. Magento is the world’s fastest growing ecommerce platform with 60,000 merchants!
This was the view from Shutl HQ as the deluge began on Friday 17th Dec. Needless to say it got a lot worse...
The recent snow has put retailers across the UK into a state of panic, their customers shying away from shopping online for fear of not receiving their gifts in time for Christmas. With transport affected, stores have also been seriously impacted and the peak sales period has taken a serious blow to the chest. The snow may be beginning to thaw now (here in London at least), but it’s impact may be felt for some time to come. And it gets worse; there’s possibly more to come… maybe even in time to thwart the post Xmas sales period…
Delivery companies have struggled to cope in the conditions, with many retailers having to release warnings that certain parts of the UK would not be receiving their presents in time for Christmas. Shutl by contrast has succeeded in operating a full service. At the height of the bad weather, only a handful of our customers faced minor delays; however these could be measured in minutes and hours rather than days and weeks. Where we were unable to deliver within the original timeframe, customers were given the option to book a new delivery window at a convenient time later that day or the following day.
Our carriers have done an incredible job of keeping Shutl customers happy – in many cases exceeding expectations – and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for the fantastic work they do. Just check out some of the fantastic feedback comments we’ve been receiving! As a result of the great service they provide, we’ll be offering both “Shutl Now” (delivery from within 90 mins) and “Shutl Later” (choose a 1 hour delivery window) options right up until the last moment on Christmas Eve. So, as far as we’re concerned, there’s HEAPS of time left to do your remaining Christmas shopping…
Retailers need to sit up and start thinking hard about how they’re going to cope with similar situations in the future. We’ll always be more than happy to help out…
On 28th October 2010, following our nomination as a finalist in the Startups Awards, fame and fortune came knocking on our door in the form of Ms. Rebecca Pike, esteemed journalist and business presenter on BBC Radio 2’s Simon Mayo show. In our first piece of radio coverage to date, Shutl Founder and CEO Tom Allason used the opportunity to explain how the business came about and spread the word on our partnership with Argos. Have a listen for yourselves by clicking on the link below…
August is usually a slow news month for retailers. This August has been a bit of an exception – at least when it comes to delivery – with both Argos and Firebox launching new same day services.
It may not come as a surprise for me to tell you that delivery is a subject of some interest at Shutl HQ. What we find particularly intriguing is that whilst there are currently only a handful of retailers offering “same day” delivery, these services can vary a great deal depending on the retailer.
You might be surprised to hear that a ’same day’ service from one retailer could in-fact take up to 36 hours to arrive and cost almost £20… whilst the same service at another retailer could take just 90 minutes and yield change from a fiver? On the face of it, some ’same day’ services might appear to be rather more equal than others…
With delivery becoming an ever more important differentiator (topic for another post) we expect many more retailers to launch ’same day’ services in the build up to Christmas. Whilst these offerings will all be labelled ’same day’ we also expect them to vary quite considerably.
Given this, we felt now would be an opportune moment to shed some light on what we believe ’same day’ delivery currently means to retailers and their customers. It is our intention to use this data to enable a ‘like for like’ comparison of these services particularly as they develop , and promote discourse that might lead to standardisation and, eventually, universally improved customer offerings.
To this end, we are actively seeking feedback from shoppers, retailers and delivery providers in the hope that we can make this table as accurate and useful as possible. If you’d like us to cover your same day service then please get in touch!
NOTE: We have compiled the below table from UK retailers that we are aware currently offer a ’same day’ delivery proposition and the terms of service advertised within their websites.
DISCLOSURE: Shutl powers Argos’s same day delivery offering and acknowledge this makes us somewhat unbiased… We are therefore very happy to pass the torch on to someone more appropriate should they put themselves forward.
