Itella forms e-commerce partnership with MSO.fi

Finnish postal operator Itella says it has formed a novel partnership with e-commerce marketplace Mitäsaisiolla.fi (MSO.fi). The alliance will offer online merchants selling via MSO.fi a market platform and logistics service as a single solution.

Itella said it would mean good customer service and faster delivery times for participating merchants.

MSO.fi was launched by multi-channel publishing house Sanoma in the tail end of last year, and now has nearly 200 e-commerce merchants offering 35,000 products through the website.

The online mall reaches about 3.5m customers each week, the company claims, via other locations including HS.fi, Radiosuomipop.fi, Hyväterveys.fi, Vauva.fi, Meidänperhe.fi and Puutarha.net.

Itella has been shifting its business towards the high-growth e-commerce potential, as its traditional mail volumes decline, and earlier this year launched an investment programme developing “extensive” warehousing and delivery systems that automate part of the e-commerce fulfillment process.

This new fulfillment system will provide a more efficient service and faster delivery times, the company says — potentially even same-day delivery.

The postal operator is also expanding into evening deliveries this month, starting in the urban areas of Turku and Tampere.

Itella said cooperation with Sanoma will start immediately.

AKu Happo, the director of e-commerce at Itella, said: “We strongly believe in the growth of domestic e-commerce and, therefore, we are now offering a flexible and scalable alternative to online stores’ own investments. The cooperation of Itella and MSO.fi helps online merchants with the operations that have traditionally been difficult or expensive – marketing and logistics.”

Marja-Leena Tuomola, the chief operating officer at Sanoma Digitial Finland, said: “One of MSO.fi’s promises was to assist companies in launching an online store and to help with business processes and marketing. With the Itella cooperation, our goal is to offer MSO.fi merchants cost-effective logistics services as well and, in this way, give a boost to the companies in the continuously tightening competitive situation.”