Meet the Partner: Shiptheory

The first in a new series, these articles showcase partners from the Whistl integration ecosystem - from order management platforms to packaging specialists, eCommerce agencies to marketplaces.

This month, we talk to Mark Mikkelson, Co-Founder of Bristol-based Shiptheory, an automated technology that makes shipping simpler, speedier and savvier.

Who are Shiptheory?

We are a team of seasoned eCommerce, integration, and shipping experts committed to easing friction for online retailers. Shiptheory’s sophisticated shipping solution allows retailers to automatically manage orders, print carrier labels, and send tracking numbers in seconds, saving hours of time.

Shiptheory serves customers globally, but you can find the team in our Bristol HQ in the United Kingdom or our new office in Miami, Florida!

How did Shiptheory begin?

Founded by James and Mark Mikkelson after working in the eCommerce shipping space for years prior. After developing one of the first Magento shipping integrations in the early 2000s and consulting for other platforms, they turned their attention to building their own platform using all they had observed. Over the last seven years, Shiptheory has become one of the leading UK shipping management platforms in the eCommerce logistics space.

Who is in the Shiptheory team?

From their headquarters in Bristol, UK, founders James and Mark lead a team of dedicated experts who are all passionate about shipping, eCommerce, and, most importantly, customer satisfaction.

They spend time getting to know each and every Shiptheory retailer, thanks to an award-winning technical support team at the heart of the business.

Shiptheory is one of the best-reviewed shipping solutions due to its unparalleled account management and onboarding.

Who are Shiptheory’s current customers?

Shiptheory works with a wide range of merchants around the world. Shiptheory can help with everything from integrating into an existing workflow to optimising shipping processes.

Look at some of the shared stories, including huge brand names like PetShop.co.uk, Jimmy's Iced Coffee, Barry M, Wiper, TRUE, Temple Cycles, Scrubdaddy, WoodBlocX, and thousands more. You can see more of our success stories here.

Which key challenges do your customers face, and how does Shiptheory help solve them?

Growing online merchants strive to streamline their processes and the technology they use to do so. This isn't always easy because many systems and platforms force retailers to do things they don't want to do. This requires training and a big change in how the business works.

Shiptheory helps retailers streamline their shipping processes by eliminating time-consuming manual tasks and working around and adding to existing workflows instead of forcing retailers to change how they ship or process orders.

Designed with operability in mind, it has a high level of flexibility. It can accommodate a wide range of scenarios, workflows, and existing processes, such as barcode scanning, pick-and-pack stations, and bulk order picking.

Shiptheory can automate every step between when a customer places an order online and when they get their item. This includes booking shipments, printing labels, sending tracking information back to the customer, making and managing returns, making picking sheets, and updating inventory.

Who are your ideal future customers?

Shiptheory works with retailers of all sizes and has over 60 sales channel integrations and over 100 carrier integrations. Shiptheory works with eCommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like NetSuite, Brightpearl and Microsoft Dynamics.

Shiptheory can connect to the vast majority of merchant operations that are already in place, and it has an API that custom integrators and platforms can use.

How does Shiptheory work?

Shiptheory helps retailers automatically route sales from their sales channels to the retailer's preferred carrier and service.

This is accomplished through the use of 'Shipping Rules,' which allow a retailer to create simple or complex sets of rules to define what happens to a shipment and when, including settings to specify which documents, such as international shipping documentation, packing sheets, commercial invoices, or carbon certification, should be produced with the shipping labels.

Once an order is booked with a carrier, the tracking number is automatically sent back to the end-user or platform where the order came from.

You can also automate the printer and barcode scanner, which lets a retailer set up powerful features like "pick and pack" in minutes using a simple, easy-to-use interface.

Inventory management and synchronisation provided by Shiptheory ensure that the retailer's inventory figures are always accurate across all platforms and marketplaces where they sell.

Finally, if a customer wishes to return a product, the retailer has access to a fully brandable and customisable returns portal, which allows them to specify reasons for which they will automatically accept a return, along with instances where the customer will be required to provide written or visual reasons.

What makes Shiptheory unique?

We are most proud of our customer service and satisfaction. We go above and beyond to meet the needs of retailers. Many service providers in our space are hands-off, but we want our customers to have the smoothest experience possible, so our team is available to help customers maximise the impact Shiptheory has on their business.

From which carriers and channels we integrate with to how our interface looks to which product feature to build next, the customer-first approach drives the entire direction of Shiptheory.

What’s new at Shiptheory?

In the ever-changing world of eCommerce, the Shiptheory software platform is constantly updated, refreshed and built upon by its team of in-house Developers. Recent updates include a free Returns portal, an AI-generated handwritten note to accompany parcels, carbon offset at the tick of a button, and soon we'll launch an entirely customisable consumer tracking portal. These are key functions that help to increase consumer retention and stickiness.

Along with this, Shiptheory releases over 40 tweaks, fixes, and enhancements to the Shiptheory core platform on a monthly basis.

Recent significant product enhancements and additions include:

• Green Shipping: Allowing retailers to specify the automatic purchase of carbon credits to offset non-green shipments, allowing them to keep any green pledges they have made.
• Penmanship: Enables the automatic production of custom messaging that appears to be handwritten. Allowing retailers to offer upsells that their customers will read due to the nature of seemingly receiving a handwritten note from a real staff member at the retailer.
• Inventory: Keeping inventory numbers synced and up-to-date across a retailer's sales channels in real-time
• Returns: A fully configurable and brandable returns platform that allows retailers to provide a more comprehensive eCommerce experience with a staggering amount of configuration and functionality.

Who else do you partner with? Any emerging marketplaces and technologies retailers should look out for?

We have a huge number of carrier and channel partnerships—more carrier integrations than any other UK provider. While we can’t pick favourites, we love them all! You can see our full list of integrations here.

Any tips for preparing for peak?

Preparing for peak times, such as Black Friday and Christmas, should obviously begin well before the actual peak. Stocking up to appropriate levels based on previous years' data and ensuring your website can handle increased traffic are two of the most basic. Having back-up shippers already setup may also get you out of a tight spot should one of your shippers have their own issues to contend with during peak times - this makes Whistl a great candidate due to their diverse network.

It is also critical to ensure that you have all of the tools necessary to capitalise on the increase in traffic and orders. Things like having automatic requests for reviews to help capture and promote feedback from your satisfied customers can help you keep your order numbers up in subsequent months.

Why did you decide to partner with Whistl?

Shiptheory looks to partner and integrate with any platform, service provider, or offering that is of value to our customers. Whistl easily tick that box and much more. With a well-respected platform used by many of our customers, the Whistl team make all the difference. They have always been and continue to be friendly, open, and approachable, which is exactly what we strive to be ourselves. As such, this is a great fit for us. The closer a carrier allows us to work with them, the better we can understand the needs of our mutual customers.

What are the benefits of working with Whistl?

Being a privately held company that handles over 3.6 billion parcels, packets and mail annually, we truly appreciate Whistl's achievements. Whistl offers a wide range of services and offerings at competitive prices.

From a partnerships perspective, Whistl has been welcoming and quick to answer and help with any technical issues or questions we have faced.

How important is a multi-carrier delivery approach to your clients?

In the modern world of eCommerce, a multi-carrier delivery approach is one of the defining features of a growing retailer.

As retailers grow, they must serve a more diverse customer base and often a more diverse product line.

Some customers will pay extra to receive deliveries quicker. Retailers may graduate into selling D2C and wholesale, needing different requirements for each.

A multi-carrier approach is also a great way to protect your business in case of issues out of your hands, such as strikes or supply chain disruptions; having other carriers, you can rely on is a great fallback.

How important is proactive customer service to your clients?

Customer service is the jewel in Shiptheory’s crown, and we’ve built a reputation for it in our industry for being the best of the best. Our support team is the beating heart of Shiptheory, and they’re there to help customers whether they’re setting up on day one or need a hand with something new five years in. We’re proud to have been described as ‘the benchmark for customer support’ in one of our Trustpilot reviews, and no matter how the company grows, the customer will always come first.

Where do you see Shiptheory in 3 to 5 years?

Shiptheory continues to evolve into a cornerstone for retail operations, not just in a shipping sense but in handling everything from inventory to returns to driving loyalty with marketing initiatives. We have an ambitious, growing team and are determined to provide value to retailers however we can.

We’re also in the process of expanding into the United States, so in a few years’ time, we hope to be America’s favourite shipping automation software (just as we already are in the UK!)

How do you see your partnership with Whistl evolving?

Like Shiptheory, Whistl clearly knows that retailers are looking to save time and money wherever possible. We at Shiptheory love working closely with carriers and logistics firms to help stay current with their new offerings. We look forward to implementing any of the new and exciting Whistl services and functionality.

As Whistl adds new services and Shiptheory adds more features, the partnership will only go from strength to strength. Integrate Whistl with Shiptheory for the best results.