Processing parcels is probably one of the most labour intensive parts of running an ecommerce business. Anything that can cut down the time spent on booking couriers, receiving orders, printing shipping labels, tracking parcels and handling returns has to be a good thing.

We spoke to Gary Carlile, Managing Director at Consignor UK, to find out more about their solution and how they can help retailers streamline their delivery operations.

Who are Consignor?

Consignor is a software company. We develop and license the Consignor software platform, which includes all stages of shipping and delivery and offer customers an integrated, sustainable and complete delivery solution, that will continue to perform and develop in line with their strategies.
Consignor was founded in Norway in 1997, and has since expanded with offices in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, China and United Kingdom, but our software is used by companies around the world with different shipping needs. Employing more than 155 staff and revenues more than EUR 15 million in 2016, Consignor has grown to be the largest provider of Delivery Management software.

What services do you offer?

Our sole focus is Delivery Management. The Consignor software supports businesses’ delivery processes by making it simpler, less time consuming and cheaper to ship orders to customers.

When using the Consignor software, companies can print shipping labels faster, book carriers and transfer shipping data automatically, track & trace parcels, handle returns faster and much more to streamline their shipping and delivery.

The Consignor platform holds the largest carrier library in the world, handles millions of shipments a year, and makes it possible for our 10,000+ customers to choose the best solution for their shipments, regardless of carriers, ERP, WMS or e-commerce setup.

Why would a retailer use Consignor instead of your competitors?

We invest heavily in development of the platform based on the feedback we get from our customers.

We know that a specific delivery challenge at one customer is most likely also a challenge at other customers, and that is why we decided to turn the Consignor platform into a standard software platform, meaning that all customers get access to the exact same solution which they can utilize to a level that suits them the best – this goes for the current version of the platform as well as all future developments.

Our passion and focus is on creating a product and service that allows for a seamless transition into existing processes.

Tell us about the Consignor services you offer

As mentioned above Consignor is a standard software platform, meaning that all customers get the same solution they can utilize to a level that suits them the best, and all customers get access to all future developments of the platform.

The Consignor software is a complete solution to match companies’ Delivery Management needs containing tools to ship, track, scan, receive, return and analyse their shipments. This allows for them to save time and money on their shipments, so they can focus on their core business.

What would your ideal retailer customer look like?

The Consignor software can be used be all companies meaning all types and sizes of retailers, but also other companies with shipping needs e.g. 3PL, 4PF, brokers, hospitals, carriers. Whether the company wants a full API integration or semi-automation or file imports, Consignor provides total flexibility for all levels of technical requirements, and can be used regardless of what carrier, ERP, WMS or e-commerce setup, the company might have.

Globally, we have more than 10,000 customers utilising our platform, with some great brands such as Lego, ReBOUND, JYSK, Aditro, DirectLink, Dansk Supermarked Group, Coop, Schneider Electric, Bestseller, United Broker and Volvo.

Case Study

Is there anything else you’d like to tell Tamebay readers?

Although we are a software company, we are also positioning ourselves within the industry as a leading forum for making things happen. Each spring we put on our Nordic Delivery conference in Copenhagen, where we bring our customers, our partners, and those that want to network together, for a day of inspirational key-notes and debates, covering subjects such as innovation and insights into best practice.

What is Consignor’s vision?

Our vision is to continue to innovate within Delivery Management, meaning we aim to learn and share knowledge with our partners, thus creating long, sustainable working relationships. Our values are important to us and certainly to our partners. We pride ourselves on being reliable, dependable, authentic, open and proactive.

How do Consignor meet the market’s evolving needs?

Other than we continue to develop the Consignor software in line with our customers’ and the market’s needs, we keep on expanding our locations into new markets. In 2015 we expanded to China and in 2016 to United Kingdom. This means that our cultural understanding keeps on evolving and getting stronger, as we have had to be proactive in ensuring we are market ready for what is deemed as standard.

Our constant expansion also enriches our carrier library, as new markets opens opportunity for new carrier partnerships, which allows for our customers to choose from an even greater selection of carriers when booking transport for their shipments in Consignor.

What are the future challenges in Delivery Management, and what is Consignor doing to meet these challenges?

For Consignor, our biggest challenge is also our biggest opportunity. With all consumer deliveries, you can guarantee there are consumer returns, but historically, returns haven’t always been given the thought and focus they really deserve. There are retailers out there that are driving change by using their consumer return offering as an opportunity to create a seamless customer experience, by making it easy to return anything. As part of our solution, we enable returns management through pre-printed return options or real-time bookings via the web.

Further Information

Consignor’s UK offices are at Braywick House West, Windsor Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 2DN.

You can contact Consignor on (077) 1022 5404, via email at [email protected] or direct via the Consignor website.