Australian start-up Shippit has inked a deal with Harvey Norman (HN) to enable smarter and faster deliveries for its customers. 

It is the first major retailer to offer a three-hour delivery option to major cities in QLD, VIC, NSW, WA, and SA (just like Amazon Prime in the United States).

The optional service is now integrated into Harvey Norman's online store and includes the ability to schedule (and reschedule) a delivery time between 7am-10pm weekdays, live GPS track deliveries, and more.

Gary Wheelhouse, Chief Digital Officer for Harvey Norman, said, “Providing a seamless purchase experience for our customers is critical. We introduced Click & Collect in 2012 to make it easier for customers to get the items they bought online, from their local Harvey Norman store. By using those same stores, we can now offer even greater flexibility and improved customer service with our new scheduled, same day delivery option. We have looked to smart software to help overcome this challenge and the dispatch system that Shippit has developed takes our operations into consideration, making it frictionless for our franchisees’ store staff to send out products for same day delivery.”

Shippit’s smarter delivery management technology removes friction from the delivery process so that customers and staff have greater control during the delivery process through more transparency and a more seamless experience.

Bond Couriers are behind the three-hour express delivery option - one of the longest established time-critical transportation companies in Australia. The delivery service is available for small appliances, consumer electronics, and small goods. Customers can also rate their experience and provide feedback on the delivery itself.

Rob Hango-Zada, joint-CEO of Shippit said, “We are really excited to finally announce our partnership with one of Australia’s largest and longest standing retailers. Our experience from working with hundreds of retailers across Australia is that our service really is one-of-a-kind. In the case of Harvey Norman, what appealed most was the stand-out shipping experience our platform could offer their customers. We also worked with the retail giant to co-develop a ship-from-store dispatch process that literally strips hours of wasted time from the whole shipping process for store staff. By partnering with Shippit, in addition to booking standard deliveries through Australia Post, Harvey Norman can now offer smart extras like national three-hour delivery scheduling, live GPS delivery tracking, and progress notifications that only a unique startup like Shippit can offer.