My final chat at The Delivery Conference 2017 was with Patrick Wall, the CEO and founder of MetaPack who organise the event.
MetaPack
MetaPack has grown to be an amazing business since it was incorporated in 1999. They now manage somewhere in the region of 100 million parcels every year on behalf of their clients.
MetaPack is a single point global SAAS solution connecting over 450 couriers, each with as many as 100 different services, to retailers. I would say ‘At the click of a button’, but MetaPack automates the service so that, once set up, it’s very much a hands off solution.
The aim is to provide whatever delivery proposition is right for any particular order whether that be a same day or next day delivery or to a pick up or drop off point. With full integration into checkout, it’s simple on the front end for both retailers and customers.
MetaPack’s aim is to serve the top 100 retailers in the UK, the EU and globally. They’re doing well with 80 of the top 100 UK retailers already using their service. Their recent expansion into the EU is going well with 80 top retailers based in Europe now using MetaPack. In the US MetaPack have signed up clients such as Amway and have offices in Georgia as they continue their global expansion.
Collaboration within the carrier industry
Patrick tells me that key requirements for retailers to succeed are to commit to serving tech savvy millenials and to put the customer in charge of their delivery choices. More personalisation suggests a greater than ever need for technical interoperability with shared accurate data, especially for services such as pick up and drop off points.
Looking at today’s delivery landscape, Patrick points out that service providers are already open to collaboration citing Argos and Sainsbury’s with eBay, John Lewis opening up their network to other retailers and CollectPlus’ recent reogranisation and interest in working with multiple carriers.
As the choice of available delivery options becomes ever more expansive and consumers who prefer one method with a particular retailer demand the same service from their other favourite brands, the challenge for retailers is how to serve their customers. MetaPack aims to make that very complex conundrum simple and, as collaboration within the delivery industry continues to evolve, are well placed to serve retailers and customers for the future and they’re already doing so today.
