PostNL partners with e-commerce platform SEOshop to tap mid-market
Dutch postal operator PostNL has formed a partnership with e-commerce platform SEOshop to expand its shipping business among mid-market web merchants. The partnership sees PostNL providing a new plug-in that will mean e-commerce companies using the SEOshop platform to host their web businesses can more easily integrate with PostNL shipping services.
PostNL said it was the first cloud solution to integrate with its new shipping plugin, although the company has provided a different plugin to link Magento users to its shipping services.
It will mean that along with small e-commerce businesses using their local post office for shipping, and the larger e-commerce businesses using the Magento e-commerce platform, PostNL will be able to attract mid-market e-commerce retailers, the company said.
SEOshop offers its software-as-a-service platform to more than 5,500 customers in 11 European countries.
“PostNL’s shipping options are fully integrated within the SEOshop online store back office, which means that online store owners can manage everything from one place. This saves online store owners on average an hour a day,” explained SEOshop chief executive Ruud Stelder.
PostNL is also promoting SEOshop on its website as an option for its customers to start an e-commerce business.
“Time-saving”
Carlos Mendes Aguiar, the retail and e-commerce services director at PostNL, said SEOshop as a platform meant SMEs can have an online store without the time usually taken to build and maintain the website.
With the PostNL link-up, he said it now simplifies shipping.
“Integrating the PostNL plugin in SEOshop means that many logistical operations are automated,” he said. “As well as saving the shop owner considerable time, he or she can profit from the advantages of a webshop secure in the knowledge that making things simple for online shoppers will bring growth.”
PostNL provides two services aimed specifically at e-commerce merchants – online shipping service MijnPakket.nl, which is a web-based platform offering track and trace information for PostNL shipments including the ability to re-route deliveries and handle returns; and PostNL Checkout, which integrates with web stores to allow customers to select a date and time for delivery, or opt for the “PakjeGemak” service to have items delivered to a local post office.
PostNL’s plugins allow e-commerce merchants to integrate with these services. Last year the postal operator partnered with Magento specialists Experius, Total Internet Group and MediaCT to integrate the plugin with their clients.
