How does Shutl work?

Shutl is a service that connects retailers with local same-day courier companies.  Our technology platform aggregates capacity across these carriers into a web service which, in turn can be linked to retailers’ e-commerce platforms & POS.

Shutl picks the best carrier for each delivery, weighing up a combination of price and past performance to ensure the optimum service every time. The selected carrier then collects the purchase from the consumer’s local store and delivers it straight to their home or office.  Shutl provides tracking emails that enable consumers to track their deliveries in real time on a GPS-enabled map.

What’s in it for retailers?

Retailers can use Shutl to:

• Grow your customer base. Attract consumers that might otherwise shop offline in addition to those that might buy from a pure play or another retailer that doesn’t offer Shutl.
• Improve conversion rates. Almost two thirds of shoppers abandon their shopping cart because they are not happy with the available delivery options, either in terms of price or flexibility. Shutl eliminates this concern by giving them greater choice.
• Reduce cost of returns. By delivering at a time chosen by the consumer, we virtually eliminate failed deliveries. There are 94 million first-time delivery failures a year costing retailers approximately £289 million annually.
• Eliminate total reliance on any single delivery supplier. Since we use a range of different carriers our service isn’t affected by strikes or the failure of any single delivery company.

Is Shutl only for multi-channel retailers?

Absolutely not! Shutl’s service fits nicely with retailers of all types:

• Pure-play e-tailers. We are particularly attractive for those that have customers within 10 miles of wherever they hold their stock. Anything over that and using same-day couriers can get expensive – although for high value or urgent items it is still a valid option. These are not only the orders that are of most value to your business, they are the transactions that build customer loyalty.
• Bricks and mortar. We can integrate into existing EPOS systems, allowing you to offer shoppers a flexible home delivery service that is particularly relevant for bulky items or for gifts. In the event that a retailer uses their own fleet of vehicles for delivery, Shutl provides an option to outsource this capability to a more efficient delivery network improving quality whilst reducing cost.

I’ve heard of same-day delivery before – what’s different about Shutl?

Shutl is a revolutionary new service.   It is nothing like the ‘same-day’ delivery services offered recently by several leading online retailers.  These services require shoppers to order before an early cut-off time to get delivery at some point during a lengthy delivery window that evening. They also come at a fairly significant cost.  By comparison, Shutl offers delivery in minutes (or at a time of your choice) for a cost that is comparable to standard delivery.

How much does Shutl delivery cost?

Here’s the best bit! In most cases Shutl delivery is comparable to the cost of standard multi-day delivery, and in many cases it will be even cheaper! This is possible because:

• For many deliveries, same-day couriers are more cost effective than the delivery options and carriers that retailers currently use.
• We let courier companies sell their short-term spare capacity, enabling us to offer prices below those which would normally be viable.
• Shutl benefits from volume discounts on our carriers’ standard pricing.

How does Shutl support the couriers?

The same-day courier market has been in decline for the last decade as consumers and businesses send more and more information digitally.  To make matters worse the industry is heavily dependent on the financial services sector and has been hit hard by the recent economic crisis.

Shutl futureproofs the courier market by giving carriers access to the significant and growing e-commerce delivery market.  Individually, no single same-day carrier is big enough or national enough to handle the peaks and troughs of nationwide demand.   By aggregating the capacity across many carriers, Shutl enables all of them to benefit.

We estimate that the declining same-day courier market currently consists of around 50 million transactions a year.  The e-commerce delivery market is much bigger; with around 820 million transactions a year and growing fast.

Sounds great! What do I do next?

If you’re interested in finding out more about the solutions that Shutl can provide for you business, please register your interest by filling out our registration form. One of the team will then make contact with you as soon as possible.