In a bid to boost consumer confidence in e-commerce, Consignia is
set to launch a service allowing Internet shoppers to save their
delivery preferences on to a database which can be downloaded with
a single click whenever they shop online.
Consignia said the service, which will be available to consumers
from its Web site from 31 March, will enable online retailers to
offer a range of delivery preferences without making any change to
their Web sites.
The service will operate in a similar way to Microsoft's Passport
technology, without the payment mechanism, said Jon Wilkins, head
of service specifications for home shopping at Consignia.
"Consumers will store their preferred address or drop-box location
and preferred post office," he said. "When they reach the address
request at the end of the shopping process they click on a button
on the desktop which forwards all their details to the retailer in
a secure manner."
Consignia is planning to increase the functionality of the
database. "The idea is to cover the whole delivery process - to
banish failed deliveries for good," Wilkins said.
Consignia is in talks with retailers across all sectors about
supporting and promoting the database, which is based on software
from supplier Kinek. The database forms part of Consignia's
strategy to overcome fulfilment problems, identified as a major
barrier to e-commerce success.