Autumn 2006

An intriguing way for online retailers to suggest how consumers can find out estimated delivery times is being proposed by WhereIsMyDelivery.com. The company already operates an SMS-based delivery lookup system; consumers simply text their postcode to a special number, and are sent details of the typical one-hour delivery time window for that street. This is not carrier-specific; it is said to be based on millions of actual deliveries by multiple carriers.

Now the company is offering to integrate the service with retailers' web sites free of charge. Consumers still pay the flat £3.50 fee, but the retailer pays nothing. There is a refund if the advice proves wrong.