Snow news day

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
The topic of snow and ice has been unavoidable this week, with the recent bad weather having a knock on effect on the public’s seasonal spending habits. Rather than battling the weather on the high street, more people than ever decided to go online. Yesterday, dubbed “Mega Monday,” was the busiest day on record for online shopping in the UK. Selfridges reported its online sales increased 50 per cent last week, while John Lewis said sales through its website were up 62.2 per cent. Agitation however will surely set in if Christmas deliveries can not be made on time.
With a warning of a mid-December snow fall, shoppers are being warned by the Road Haulage Association there is a “real possibility” that presents will not arrive in time for Christmas. Kate Gibbs, the Association’s spokesman, said: “Road haulage operators will be doing their absolute best to make sure that its business as usual this winter but if the snow returns with the same ferocity as last week it is inevitable we will see delayed deliveries over the Christmas period.”
Whilst England and Wales weather has improved for the most part, Scotland has faced consistent heavy snowfall over the weekend, leaving its transport industry in chaos.

Cliffhanger plot for lucky driver

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
A truck driver in Qingzhen, south west China recreated the famous last scene of the hit film, The Italian Job. After the brakes failed just before turning a tight corner, the truck drove straight through the cliff barriers. The truck was perched precariously over the cliff face and was mere inches from tipping over and plummeting down a 400ft drop. Luckily for the driver, mounds of sand stopped the vehicle just in time.


“It was enough to slow it down. The driver had been convinced he was going to die and took a lot of persuading to climb out of his cab and back up the truck,” said a police spokesman.”

Snow joke – transport industry faces bitter conditions

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
Transport by road, rail and air has been heavily hit by the latest icy conditions. Winter weather has come around unusually early this year, with our coldest November in over a decade. As a result the M25 has been in a perpetual standstill, with many drivers stuck on the roads for hours.


RAC have stated: “With more snow and ice predicted across large parts of the UK today, RAC’s fleet of 4 x 4 vehicles are in the worst affected areas and extra Patrols are on the ground to help stranded motorists,” but that they expected “further chaos on the roads.”

According to reports earlier today, Nottinghamshire and Kent are two of the worst hit in terms of road conditions. Couriers, who of course depend on the roads being clear, have had to take into account the recent bad weather.

London was also hit, with many lines suffering severe delays or closing down entirely. Businesses have reported over four times the number of employees unable to make into work. Gatwick has also closed down until Thursday at the very least.

We want to know how the snow and ice has been affecting you?

Have ParcelPal Finally Solved the Nightmare of Missed Deliveries & Collections?

Posted on by Anthony Marriage

ParcelPal Ltd has recently launched a new innovative product for the home delivery and collections market. Could this solution be set to change the way we view the convenience of home deliveries and collections altogether?

The product consists of a secure delivery box, fitted to the exterior of a home or business address, together with an intercom unit, replacing the existing doorbell. When a courier arrives and presses the intercom button, the system makes a call to the pre-configured mobile phone number. On answering the call, a conversation can be held with the person at the intercom, from wherever the recipient happens to be. Once the need to deliver or collect a parcel has been verbally confirmed, the owner can unlock their secure container remotely, using the buttons on their mobile phone.

The product is primarily targeted at regular online shoppers and people operating businesses from their home. The lockers are generating a significant amount of interest and according to the MD, Steve Bungard “We’re finding that Amazon and eBay Power Sellers operating their business from home are showing the greatest interest, since the product uniquely copes with unattended collections, just as easily as deliveries”.

The container is available in black or grey and has internal dimensions of 40x50x60cm, which the company says will accept the majority of online purchases; however they also produce an industrial version with internal dimensions of 50x50x100cm for users requiring larger deliveries or multiple deliveries or collections in any one day.

Bungard went on to explain about the secure event logging built into the system, which records and uploads information relating to system operations. This information is available through secure login to their website.

With the increasing rate at which online shopping and home delivery is continuing to grow, a solution such as this, which can reduce missed deliveries and the irritation, cost and environmental impact of depot collections or redeliveries, could be set to change the way we view the convenience of home deliveries and collections altogether.

More information on the ParcelPal system can be found on the company website at http://www.parcelpal.com/.

Mama mia! Lamborghini delivery

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
During a time when many businesses are tightening the purse strings, restauranter
Alberto Valotta has decided to celebrate the family business in style. His restaurant, Alberto’s, will run a Lamborghini delivery service to mark their 12th anniversary. If you live in Hemel Hempstead, Herts and fancy an Italian takeaway this Friday you can enjoy the Lamborghini delivery experience.

“There are lots of Indian and Chinese restaurants who do take away services but not many Italians, so we thought it would be a good idea.” said Alberto.

“We wanted to do something special to mark the start and my son Orlando suggested we get hold of a Lamborghini Gallardo.”

Not known for its green credentials, the supercar only does 12 miles to the gallon. We don’t think any couriers will be using this in a hurry!

A Garlic bread delivery from a Bugatti Veyron? Fish and Chips from an Aston Martin? Bratwurst from a Porsche?

What supercar, if any, would you want delivering your takeaway?

ShipLYNK™ takes centre stage – install on eBay and get £1 today

Posted on by admin
Drumroll please…

Shiply is proud to announce our latest creation – ShipLYNK™! Easily installed (takes 30 seconds – we’ve timed it), it automatically inserts a simple integration between your eBay auction listings and Shiply.  What’s more, we’re paying £1 to everyone who installs it! (limited time only & terms apply).

ShipLYNK screenshot on example eBay listing page

People bidding on your item can then simply click on ShipLYNK™ to import the eBay item information into Shiply.com. It’s a great way of offering cheap delivery options available to your potential buyers – a great incentive for bidders who are put off by expensive delivery costs or the dreaded “local collect only”!

A large slice of our marketplace is made up of eBay items that Shiply members are trying to win or sell. We love that our members can make alternate delivery arrangements on an eBay item and save themselves a bundle in the process. ShipLYNK™ makes it even easier for eBayer’s to find a delivery option they are happy with.

To promote the launch of ShipLYNK™ we are giving £1 to everyone who installs it into their eBay listings  (limited time only & terms apply).

Better yet, eBay sellers will get 40% commission of Shiply revenue for new customers clicking  through ShipLYNK™. Perfect if you already have lots to sell in time for Christmas.

Tis’ the season to be jolly after all!  Enjoy.

Over 1,200 ShipLYNK’s™ have already been installed, so grab your’s now at: http://shiplynk.shiply.com.

1,000 Facebook “likes”

Posted on by Anthony Marriage

Everyone seems to be on Facebook, whether it’s a quick glance on your lunch break or in the comfort of your own home. We created the Shiply page last January and we have already reached the milestone of 1,000 likes!

 
Thank you for all the comments and suggestions. We’re sure it won’t be too long before we’re announcing our 2,000th “liker!”


Not liked Shiply on facebook yet? get on over there – http://www.facebook.com/shiply/.