A Christchurch e-commerce software firm is branching out to take advantage of the booming online shopping industry.
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eStar has established a wholly owned subsidiary specialising in order fulfilment and is eyeing up the Australian market for growth.
The new company, called Viare, will focus on streamlining the process of picking and dispatching online orders.
eStar chief growth officer Alison Crosbie said the pandemic had resulted in a huge increase of online shopping.
"The reason for us to focus on this area is because a lot of retailers are not doing it particularly well and ... their customers want better performance out of expected delivery times and options around delivery as well."
Crosbie said many retailers did not have click and collect prior to the pandemic and that type of offering had become important since 2020.
While Australia was a key target for Viare's growth, she did not rule out going beyond that.
She said the company would also be looking for the right customer fit.
"What I mean by that is technology is sophisticated, complex at times and every retailer's system and eco-system within their networks and technologies are different.
"So we need to be sure that we're getting and giving the best service and technology that enables them to reap benefits from the system as well."
