Having conquered cost, shipping startup looks to speed

Internet Retailing

24th Apr 2018

Sendle has made a name for itself by offering small businesses low prices on domestic door-to-door shipping. Now the shipping startup is looking to up its speed game in line with changing consumer expectations.

The shipping service today announced a two-delivery guarantee, which initially is only available to businesses participating in Ebay’s Guaranteed Delivery Program, but which may become available to other businesses in future.

Starting today, members of Ebay’s Guaranteed Delivery Program can take advantage of Sendle’s two-day delivery service to and from selected capital cities and regional centres, at no extra cost.

Sendle CEO and co-founder James Chin Moody last year told Internet Retailing that while Sendle’s priority is to take the pain out of shipping for small businesses, it must also meet changing consumer demands.

“The industry is shifting towards faster delivery, which is a great thing for consumers. We want to make sure our sellers are part of that trend, and that is what we want to be doing in future,” he said.

“We’re looking at everything. When you look at delivery, there are a couple options – domestic, international, keep the price down or make it fast. As we evolve and mature, we’re looking at all those things. What we don’t want to do is launch something without first working out how to do it perfectly.”

Recent research reveals shoppers are 45 per cent more likely to purchase if they have confidence the item will arrive within two to three days, making speed as important a factor as cost for online retailers.

Moody noted that since Ebay accounts for about 50 per cent of online non-food retail in Australia, it made sense to offer its guaranteed two-delivery service to e-commerce businesses selling through the marketplace.

“[Ebay’s] innovative Guaranteed Delivery program improves the shopping experience for millions of online buyers around the country, and we are proud to support it,” he said.

Senior director of product and shipping at Ebay Australia & New Zealand, David Ramadge, said: “We pride ourselves in taking a customer-first approach to business, and what our e-commerce merchants need most is to meet the growing expectations of Aussie online shoppers seeking fast, affordable, and convenient delivery.”