Honoured to be chosen as one of the 23 finalists at The Next Web Paypal X Startup Rally 2010 in Amsterdam last week, Shutl begrudgingly had to walk away from the event empty handed! Despite our esteemed leader, Tom Allason, nailing his presentation and making some earth-shattering announcements– on the night the awards eluded us.  Changing the way people shop just isn’t enough these days!

That said, here at Shutl HQ we aren’t bitter! Hats off to all the entrants and in particular to the overall winners: Next2News. You can read more about them here.

Thanks to everyone who has shown support for Shutl over the last few weeks/months. An especially big shout-out to the NextWeb team for putting on a truly world class event, looking fwd to 2011 already…

We are very excited to announce that Laithwaites, the UK’s leading wine merchant, recently launched the Shutl delivery service from its flagship store, ‘The Arch’, at Vinopolis in Borough Market.

Set on the verges of the bustling food market and right next to the Vinopolis wine tour, the Laithwaites occupies an absolutely prime location. With hordes of foody clientele shopping nearby and wine buffs (and winos) walking straight into the store having been inspired by their tastings, there is certainly a ready market to tap into. However, the lack of nearby parking and the ever-so-slight inconvenience of public transport means that the real challenge the store faces is in promoting sales of cases (rather than simply single bottles of wine/spirits).

After a bit of head scratching, Shutl came up with the perfect solution; we developed a point of sale (POS) application that enables purchases to be delivered immediately (within 90 minutes) or at a time of the customer’s choosing. Laithwaites staff now promote the Shutl service in-store, giving customers the option to buy larger/heavier consignments of wine without having to worry about getting it home.

The service is only available from the store itself, so customers must either ring the store (0207 407 6378) or visit in person to benefit from the great deals that are on offer.

Thanks to Shutl, style conscious Londoners with hectic lives have a few less things to worry about.  Looking great no longer requires popping out to a boutique in your lunch break or hanging around for a delivery.

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?

According to a recent survey by eCommerce giant ATG, 78 percent of shoppers claim to use two or more channels to browse, research and make their purchases. 30 percent said they use three channels or more.

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.