In a year that has been far from plain sailing for most businesses, shipping software provider Shipster’s contribution to its e-commerce clients’ success has been recognised by Digital City with the System Integrators Award 2021.
Digital City celebrates some of the best talent in the digital sector and explores what makes a leading digital city. A judging panel including Stephanie Genin (Hootsuite), Kirstie Buchanan (CTI Digital), Mark Joyce (Sky Bet UK) and Kate Patton (Tech Nation), assessed each contestant’s achievements.
The panel presented the award to Shipster based on the support it has provided to e-commerce clients during challenges including Brexit and the pandemic, as well as its overall contribution to the digital sector.
Developed by Manchester-based company Oddsphere in 2016, Shipster connects clients’ sales software to couriers and supports the operations of client warehouses all over the UK. During the award assessment period, Shipster has helped clients rise to unique challenges by rolling out a custom Brexit version of its platform ahead of the UK’s EU departure.
Shipster developed new, client-requested features to minimise delivery disruption and maintain EU shipping compliance, including integration of country of manufacture documentation, paperless trading and partial order dispatches.
At a time when communication challenges have often been exacerbated by mandatory remote working, Shipster has also managed to maintain pre-pandemic levels of day-to-day client support, as well as offering a generous pandemic support package (uncharged licenses for medical PPE suppliers). All of which has contributed to income growth of 45.5 per cent for the company over 2020.
Managing Director Tony Cheetham said of the win, “It’s been a tough, chaotic year for everyone in the shipping/logistics sector and winning this award is the perfect end to the last year. Big congratulations to all other winners as well!”
Client Services Director Damian Donnelly added, “We are beyond proud and happy to win the 2021 System Integrators Award! We linked up on MS Teams, watched the awards ceremony and celebrated together. It’s also heartening to see innovative up and coming companies doing so well and being supported by the Digital City Festival along with its sponsors – thank you to everyone for their support.”
Shipster Director Hayley Cowburn describes how the virtual festival worked,
“I wondered how a virtual festival would play out with a big award ceremony and was impressed by what Digital City pulled together. For the two weeks that the festival is running, there are two live streaming channels on the login portal, a schedule of events, your own personal schedule for adding events to, lots of opportunities to live chat alongside presentations, take polls, add new connections and even host your own meetings.”
