LaunchPad: Why put up with legacy delivery models designed for an age before eCommerce?
Apr 27, 2015
On Thursday 23rd April 2015 we held another event in our 'LaunchPad' series. The event entitled 'Why put up with legacy delivery models designed for an age before eCommerce?' was held at the Soho Hotel in London and a number of key retail brands joined us for an afternoon of robust and stimulating conversation.
For any of you who have heard the wnDirect elevator pitch you will know that the idea for wnDirect's services was actually born out of frustration. The traditional delivery models seemed to trap retailers between two options: unreliable C2C 'snail mail' or premium rate, express services typically aimed at the B2B market. Neither option was fit for purpose and, in our experience, was actively hindering international eCommerce growth. The services were either too expensive for the consumer or the delivery experience so poor they were reluctant to re-order. I am yet to hear an online shopper demand an 'expensive and slow service' so the idea was born. To create a reliable international delivery solution available at a fraction of the cost but that was almost as fast as the premium express services.
wnDirect has come a long way since it was no more than a gem of an idea. We have now successfully delivered millions of packages from eCommerce retailers and have developed quite a name for ourselves. Known for our disruptive innovations and our ability to not just look at things differently but actively develop solutions which overcome significant eCommerce barriers and hurdles. The most recent LaunchPad event gave us the opportunity to share some of these new developments with the retailers in attendance. The key items on the agenda were:
- wnCollect - the world's first international click and collect or PUDO solution
- wnReturns - our clever returns portal supporting both the etailer and their end customerwnValidate - a nifty little tool enabling global address verification, and a range of other added value bolt-on's that simplify Integration and provide Data Quality for Retailers
wnCollect
Our new service wnCollect is the world's first worldwide click and collect solution.
In the highly competitive retail environment delivery has become as much of a differentiator as the products themselves. Whereas home delivery and same day options were once seen as innovative the ever demanding consumer continues to drive the bar ever higher.
Click and Collect solutions have continued to gather momentum as these work well for both the retailer and the consumer. Research estimates that growth in the volume of units ordered online but collected in store will overtake that for home delivery for the first time in 2015. For the retailer click and collect can be more cost effective as parcels are grouped by location reducing the total number of 'drops' and there are less 'failed' deliveries. Customers are also confident that they will be able to go and collect their parcel at a time and location convenient to them. To date, however, click and collect options have been incredibly localised and 'patchy' and far from comprehensive in terms of being an international solution - that is until we launched wnCollect.
Not only have we been able to launch a comprehensive global solution, we have also managed to keep an eye on the retailer's P&L. By consolidating all of our volumes we can ensure that all of the retailers we work with are able to benefit from the most competitive rates.
wnCollect doesn't require any additional investment from the retailer in terms of resources. The solution offers a single portal of entry from the retailer's site. We also takes care of API integration on a country by country basis and also manages tax and duty payment as part of the service. Local language communications, customer support and full tracking all come as standard.
wnReturns
Research shows that 30% of shoppers find it difficult to return goods purchased online, 51% think the returns process is too complicated and 83% would shop more at a retailer that made the returns process easier. Our wnReturns solution does just that…make the returns process easier!
The consumer simply logs into the wnReturns portal, which is customised for each retailer, and chooses the item/s they wish to return. They then either print their returns label immediately or they can email it to their email account to print later. Then all they need to do it stick their returns label on their parcel and drop it off at a post office. Simple!
The parcels then come to us via a consolidation hub. We scan the items and return to the retailer and the retailer issues the refund to the consumer. Job done!
Returns can be 100% consumer paid, 100% retailer paid or they can be partially subsidised by the retailer. Retailers receive a daily report from their customised wnReturns portal providing visibility of what has been returned.
wnValidate
94% of businesses in the UK believe their data accuracy is flawed(Dynamic Markets - Global Data Quality Research 2013). If address data is incorrect it can result in undeliverable parcels and cost retailers money.
Our wnValidate solution provides global address verification, covering all 220 countries globally, therefore reducing the number of undeliverable parcels and consequently saving money.
wnValidate also benefits shoppers as they are spared from the laborious task of data entry and they do not experience unnecessary delays with their delivery.
eCommerce is a fast paced, exciting area that has changed beyond all recognition over the past decade. Our innovative solutions are helping change the eCommerce environment further and we look forward to welcoming more and more retailers on board.
So with all that on offer it really is any wonder why any eCommerce retailer would settle for less.
