Welcome to the Blast-off blog!
Here’s the place where you can keep up to date with all the latest rumblings at Shutl Mission Control. You can also follow us on any of the social networks linked to below.
Blog
e-Commerce module launch
March 3, 2010 at 5:16 pm | Comment
This week Shutl completed development of our first integration modules for open source e-Commerce platforms!
Our Magento and osCommerce modules have been specifically developed to offer easy “out-of-the-box” integration for retailers running either of these two mainstream platforms – and there will be more to come in due course! Our strategic objective is 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 there are any other London-based retailers out there who are running either Magento or osCommerce and are eager to try out the Shutl delivery service – 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.
Happy selling!
Is good customer service worth the cost?
February 24, 2010 at 10:14 am | Comment
A recent article in The Retail Bulletin threw up some interesting statistics (produced by the Consumer Forum) around customer service. It is particularly timely as the launch of the Shutl service with our first retailer is now imminent and we are working through our own plans for our customer service operation. Some good food for thought…
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…
Recession? What recession?
February 10, 2010 at 5:07 pm | Comment
A recent report by Kelkoo shows that UK consumers were responsible for a MASSIVE 30% of all European online retail sales in 2009. Collectively we managed to spend £38bn compared to the European total of £127.7bn. Recession? What recession?
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?
iPad – an opportunity for retailers?
January 28, 2010 at 10:10 am | 2 Comments
Yesterday’s launch of the iPad met with some serious buzz. If there’s one thing Apple know how to do, its launch a product!
And hats off to Mr. Jobs – the iPad does look like a stunning piece of kit. The sleek design of the iPhone combined with a tablet screen and iTunes/App Store integration makes for a pretty compelling product that nicely bridges the gap between iPhone and MacBook. Whether it will sink or swim is yet to be decided…
Of note, however, is what the launch of this device means for retailers. The supposedly “best browsing experience you’ll ever have” (Steve Jobs) offered by the iPad means this could be the new terminal through which people will be interacting with online stores to do their shopping. Everything about the iPad heralds a new wave of feature-rich retailer apps that will no longer have to limit their functionality and fight for available space on the small screen of a smartphone. It offers huge potential for an entirely new level of engagement with your consumer.
The question is who will be the first to exploit it?
Top trends in 2010
January 14, 2010 at 1:32 pm | CommentIt’s that time of the year when everyone’s making predictions about what the big events of the next 12 months. Here are our pick of the retail trends for 2010:
1. The rise of click ‘n’ collect: Many of the multichannel pioneers (Argos, Halfords, DSGi etc.) have seen fantastic adoption of their click ‘n’ collect initiatives over the last year, contributing in no small part to the great results reported by the high street over the last few days. We can only presume that where some have gone, more will follow. Why? Today’s tech-savvy consumers want to compare and review products online before they seek the satisfaction of going to pick them up immediately from their local store. Due to the increasing cost of visiting the high street in terms of parking, petrol, time and the occasional Penalty Charge Notice (thank you Westminster Council), shoppers want to ensure that their journey is a successful one. Having found what you want online, clicking and reserving is still by far the fastest way of getting hold of your purchases. And the benefits extend to retailers too. Further integration of their online and offline channels allows for a truer understanding of consumer shopping habits and a more unified service offering, resulting in a more loyal customer base. The high street is making a come back…
2. Mobile apps.: The proliferation of smart phones and our seemingly unquenchable thirst for apps (according to Steve Jobs over 3 billion have been downloaded from Apple’s App Store to date) means only one thing… After eBay and Ocado both successfully launched smart phone apps last year, others will surely be following suit. Although pureplay e-tailers are clearly in a better position to deliver mobile apps in the shorter term, the larger multichannel players will be eying this space closely and working out what they need to do make it happen (and with what degree of functionality). Maintaining a permanent presence in the palm of your customer’s hand is an opportunity that’s simply too good to miss…
3. Increased IT spend: Despite the volatile economic climate, the first two predictions simply can’t happen without the supporting systems in place. A recent white paper by the Royal Mail claimed that UK retailers invest on average only 1% of turnover in technology. In banking it is 2-3%. Despite becoming a similarly information-led sector, IT spend simply isn’t on the increase and retailers are running a serious risk of being left behind. 2010 is set to be a year of change as the multichannel initiatives being put into place by retailers of all sizes reach the stage where investment is required to bring their operations up to date. We reckon this year IT spend is set to double. Software companies and systems integrators everywhere are rubbing their greasy palms…
