NetDespatch and
Blackbay, have jointly provided the technology which powers ‘Pass My
Parcel’, therecently introduced Click and Collect service from Smiths News, which has been
selected by Amazon for its customers in the UK.
Announced
in October, Pass My Parcel allows Amazon customers to place an order before
11am and collect at a location convenient to them until 8pm the same day, seven
days per week. The parcels are being delivered by Smiths News, the newspaper
and magazine wholesaler using technology provided by NetDespatch’s Click and
Collect integration platform, in partnership with Blackbay’s Delivery Connect
software which provides complete visibility of goods throughout the entire
collection and delivery process.
Marcus
Cotes, IT Director at Smiths News, comments: “We are utilising our existing
distribution network and infrastructure to provide same day and next morning
distribution of Amazon parcels via our network of independent retailers
operating as parcel shops. NetDespatch’s platform has allowed us to receive delivery
manifest data from Amazon, which is integrated with Blackbay’s Delivery Connect
software, to create a single view connecting the Amazon fulfilment centres, our
distribution centres and drivers, up to 1,000 store pick up locations, and our
internal billing and administration systems.”
From
point of collection through to ‘last mile’ delivery of parcels, Smiths News and
Amazon have instant online visibility of all distribution centre, driver and
in-store activity through data provided from Blackbay’s Delivery Connect
solution, which is deployed to handheld terminals used by both the Smiths News
logistics staff and the retail stores. Parcels are scanned throughout their
journey from the Amazon fulfilment centres to the Smiths News distribution
centres, where they are allocated to van drivers to deliver them to their
network of parcel shop retailers. They are then collected in-store by the
Amazon customers who must present a pick-up code or barcode to complete the
collection.
“We had a
vision for a new type of parcel delivery system, which would allow us to leverage our existing distribution and logistics
expertise and provide a market-leading proposition. We needed to get it to
market very rapidly, and selected the joint NetDespatch / Blackbay proposition,
as we were confident that they could support us in creating a seamless,
integrated solution at pace,” continued Cotes.
Nigel
Doust, CEO, Blackbay comments: “Driven in part by the ‘Amazon Effect’ around
home delivery, consumers now expect to have more control around when and how
their goods are delivered, the challenge for everyone involved in retailing,
shipping and logistics is how to up their game and offer collection and
delivery solutions which provide choice and convenience. Working with NetDespatch,
we are able to deliver innovative new services that do just that. Together we
provide transport and logistics companies with an all-important competitive
advantage – the ability to meet consumers’ demands for first time, on time,
every time deliveries. The Amazon and Smith News Pass My Parcel service is a
perfect example.”
Becky Clark, CEO, NetDespatch comments: “Between Blackbay and
NetDespatch, over 15 million shipments are created, tracked and managed each
day in the UK, Asia Pacific and North America Regions. The NetDespatch SaaS
platforms provide proven, reliable and scalable solutions to get innovative
parcel delivery propositions to market quickly, and then to scale with them.
This is the reason that Smiths News chose our solution to deliver its Pass My
Parcel service to Amazon.”
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