Online transport specialist Wiseloads has developed new ‘one stop shop’ online delivery services for people who purchase goods from e-retailers like Amazon and eBay.
The service, co-developed by Limerick-based software developer Emutex, is a brokering service that automatically chooses the courier offering the best delivery service and price, saving the customer up to 35pc in costs.
The Wiseloads service is available to users in Ireland through www.wiseloads.com or through major online retailers and resellers (such as eBay and Amazon) based in Ireland. It will be available to users based in the UK and mainland Europe from 2010.
Wiseloads’ innovative service is particularly suited to individuals trading on the internet , using websites such as eBay, seeking simple, secure, hassle free transport solutions with no hidden costs.
Online sellers can obtain an accurate quote for the complete transport solution 24 / 7 with pick up the next day.
“Our market research revealed that people, and online sellers in particular, were frustrated at the amount of time and hassle as well as high cost involved in organising the delivery of goods,” said Pauric Logue, the service’s founder.
“At Wiseloads, our focus is on taking away the customer pain by providing clarity and attention to detail. Online purchasers in particular want to know upfront what they will be paying for postage and delivery of goods purchased and don’t want any hidden charges.
“Wiseloads offers transparency for buyers and sellers alike and ensures that there are no hidden charges for the buyer on the doorstep,” Logue said.
According to the JNIR (Joint National Internet Research), Ireland now has just under 2 million adult Internet users and in spite of the recession, online purchasing remains resilient.
Overall, there was €12 million spent on goods and services online in Ireland last year and the volume of goods sold online in Ireland is on the increase. For example, the latest figures from eBay registered a 19pc increase in sales of clothing and accessories in the first three months of 2009 compared with the same period last year and a massive 44 percent increase in health and beauty product sales.
“In terms of growth, we currently have an exclusive arrangement with a major online reseller and we will build on that to expand our services into the UK later this year and the rest of Europe by 2010,” Logue said.
“We are employing five people at our new premises in Donegal and plan to grow this to 20 as we continue the collaboration with Emutex in Limerick to extend the service across Europe next year,” he added.
Emutex is a software design consultancy which was founded by Limerick natives John Twomey and Mark Burkley and which began at the EAC in Limerick in 2007.
Both Emutex and Wiseloads are privately funded and received Enterprise Ireland CORD (Commercialisation of Research & Development) funding last year. Both companies participated in the LEAP (Limerick Enterprise Acceleration Platform) Programme at Limerick Institute of Technology.
“What’s unique about the Wiseloads service is the ‘one stop shop’ brokering element which looks for the most cost effective solution for the customer in terms of postage, tracking and delivery,” John Twomey of Emutex explained.
“The service is unique to the Irish market and we look forward to an ongoing collaboration with the Company as we scale up the project for other markets throughout Europe,” Twomey added.
By John Kennedy
Pictured: Pairic Logue of Wiseloads and John Twomey of Emutex
