Futura hails new Shipster partnership as ‘missing piece’ in puzzle

Shipster, a custom shipping integration platform, and Futura Retail Solutions, an advanced retail and warehouse management software, have announced a strategic partnership to target growing omni-channel retail markets.

The alliance creates a robust end-to-end solution for Futura’s customers, boosting automation and flexibility with packing and shipping, and enhancing tracking, ensuring those final miles are faster, cheaper and more accurate.

Futura, based in Reading, is a software provider specialising in the small to midsize lifestyle, gift and department store sectors. Oliver Bonas, Vinegar Hill, Morleys Department Store Group and Merlin Entertainment, which operates over 130 attractions worldwide, are among its biggest customers.

Shipster, based in Manchester, connects online retailers, ecommerce warehouses and distributors with over 100 leading couriers. Its offering is disrupting the ecommerce shipping space, giving growing companies an affordable, customisable and flexible alternative to existing products.

By bringing together their offering, Futura and Shipster will be well positioned to capitalise on the significant growth of retail, e-commerce and logistics markets.

Michael Latimer, Chief Revenue Officer at Shipster, said: “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership and seamless integration with Futura Retail Solutions.

“Investing in a digital solution to underpin and unify all aspects of retail, e-Commerce and warehousing is the key to resilience, agility, security and growth.

“With Futura's unrivalled expertise in retail technology and Shipster's cutting-edge shipping solutions, our partnership aims to streamline the retail shipping landscape and omnichannel journey, offering unparalleled value and ensuring sustained growth and success for customers.”

Over the last 30 years Futura has evolved to offer omni-channel retail solutions, EPOS and inventory control and warehouse management software with over 35,000 users worldwide.

Having developed its warehousing solution, Stock Hub, the company looked for a shipping solutions partner to help its customers further streamline their operations.

Shipster, which launched in 2015, stood out in the market for its ability to automatically generate all necessary documents such as shipping labels, invoices and returns, according to a custom set of rules.

Meanwhile, Shipster's licence fee model, as opposed to per-label pricing, allows for predictable budgeting and savings, especially as order volumes increase. This flexibility allows a business to adapt to seasonal demands or growth without sacrificing efficiency or customer service quality.

Another standout feature is Shipster’s custom shipping rules capability which enables retailers to tailor their process based on criteria including weight, destination and parcel type, offering an unrivalled level of customisation.

Jason Smith, Managing Director of Futura Retail Solutions, said: “Our digital solution helps customers navigate a unique set of challenges and maintain consistency across multiple touchpoints. But our challenge was to improve pick, pack and dispatch for e-Commerce fulfilment. Shipster has proved the antidote, offering an ever-expanding library of pre-built shipping rules which caters to these specific needs, ensuring shipping processes are efficient and cost-effective.

“From the very first conversation with the Shipster team, it was clear that they understood who we are, what we wanted and our direction of travel. Shipster is the missing piece in the puzzle for us to offer a complete end to end solution and exceptional support to our customers.”

For more information about the partnership, please visit shipstersolutions.com/integrations/futura