When Shippit was launched in 2015, our mission was to simplify how retailers across the nation get ship done. Fast forward to July 2018, and we’ve been announced as a Westpac 2018 Business of Tomorrow, and the Shippit team couldn’t be more stoked to share with you what this means for our team and the future path of Australia.
When the Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow were announced a few weeks ago, you probably noticed the flood of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter announcements celebrating what an accolade this program is. The Shippit team is proud not only to stand among such a prestigious group of Australian business but also for making it into the Top 20 category out of 200 standout organisations.
For those who have followed our journey, and for those who haven’t, this post outlines the journey of a small SaaS business that was born in the fashion outlets in Sydney’s Surry Hills and grew to be one of the most highly sort after shipping platforms in the Australian retail industry.
Understanding What Businesses of Tomorrow Mean to Australia
If you haven’t heard of Westpac’s Businesses of Tomorrow Program, then you’re probably wondering what all the fuss is about. Rest assured, it certainly isn’t much ado about nothing.
Businesses of Tomorrow is a program designed to grow and mentor Australian businesses with an idea or product that will reshape our path as a nation. It was created for the businesses set to disrupt the status quo by creating tsunamis instead of ripples.
Businesses that qualify for this prestigious award can be large or small, but they need to fit the bill of propelling innovation in their field. These businesses also need to be able to hold their own, because the application and judging process for this award is rigorous and independent of Westpac.
After the long judging process, 200 businesses are chosen and they are then whittled down further to 20 businesses. These top 20 businesses have a strong vision for the future, and they have demonstrated their potential to help tomorrow’s customers, economy and society in a more general sense.
So now you know why Shippit is so excited to be announced out of the thousands of businesses in Australia as one of the top 20 organisations in the country that are instigating change for the better. Take a look at our full journey below, from the moment we launched, to the moment we decided to go international.
The Shippit Story
Shippit has humble beginnings working with a handful of fashion and homeware boutiques in Sydney’s famous Surry Hills back in 2015 when we were officially launched. Our founding team worked with small growing labels to deliver solutions that met their needs and kept their customers happy. In fact, our first customer was, and still is, Leah Taylor, Founder of the designer boutique The Minimalist.
Shippit has come a long way since then. Our founders Rob Hango-Zada and William On grew from a team of just two to now running a crew of over 40 staff in a swanky office in the heart of the CBD.
We’ve not only grown in size but in our mission. The Shippit crew has evolved from catering small boutique businesses in the fashionable Surry Hills area to catering to the needs of some of Australia’s largest retailers like Cue Clothing Co, Harvey Norman, Uniqlo, Cotton On Group among many others.
Shippit now powers delivery for thousands of retailers across Australia sending hundreds of thousands of deliveries every single month. Our software has made front page headlines for the work we’ve done with retailers so they can compete against the threat of online giants like Amazon. Our mission is to empower retailers, and we’ve worked with the likes of Cue, Harvey Norman, Puma, Sephora and many other large retailers so they can stand out in this crowded eCommerce environment.
Shippit’s Journey Ahead
So it’s clear that our journey has led Shippit through an exponential period of growth, taken us through a period of excitement and unprecedented success only experienced by a handful of Australian businesses. So where will this journey take us?
Shippit has a groundbreaking and challenging road ahead. We’re currently expanding into New Zealand, with Singapore and Thailand following close behind. Internationalisation has taken a lot of work and the Shippit team has burned a lot of midnight oil to get these projects off the ground.
We’re also building exciting new products that are delivering exceptional growth for eCommerce businesses and multi-channel retailers across Australia. Most recently we made headlines for our groundbreaking solution that enabled Cue Clothing Co to turn their 90+ retail stores into mini-distribution centres. Cue took home an ORIA for their innovative ship-from-store strategy that utilised their in-store POS printers to print shipping labels.
Shippit is also developing products and features that are at the forefront of retail fulfilment technology. We’re currently in beta for a game-changing returns product, we’ve totally revolutionised the way retailers think about printing labels and offering returns, and our tracking pages and notifications engine delivers one of the most impressive and consistent user experiences in the industry.
For these industry disrupting innovations Shippit’s been recognised by a plethora of other industry awards including:
- 2018 Retail Fulfilment Awards for the Best Fulfilment Solution – Winner
- 2018 Retail Awards for Retail Supplier of the Year – Finalist
- 2018 Retail Fulfilment Awards for Excellence in International Fulfilment – Finalist
- 2017 Finder Awards for the Best Online Shopping Innovation – Winner
Shippit was also announced as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards in the Medium and Making Waves Category, and we’re excited to hear the final decision on this one.
Our mission since our conception has been to empower retailers with smarter shipping that saves time, money and keeps their customers happy. We couldn’t be more proud to stand by our values and continually push the envelope when it comes to eCommerce fulfilment and unifying customer expectations with what retailers are actually able to deliver.
It’s been a whirlwind journey, but Shippit is only getting started. We can’t wait to see what opportunities await through the Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow award and we can’t wait to share our journey with our readers.
We’re always looking for top talent, so if you’d like to join the growing Shippit team and share our journey, get in touch with us here.
