How OSPREY LONDON turned delivery into a profit driver

OSPREY LONDON is a premium British bag and accessories brand with a reputation built on quality leather goods. When Ben Jones and his team embarked on a two-year technology transformation, delivery was one of the last pieces to fall into place — and one of the most revealing.

We sat down with Ben to talk about what changed when OSPREY LONDON moved to Ingrid, what surprised him most about customer behaviour, and where delivery fits into the brand's next chapter.

Disconnected systems, limited delivery options

When Ben Jones joined OSPREY LONDON seven years ago, the brand's digital operation was built on a patchwork of disconnected systems. Delivery options were a basic tiered system. Returns lived in a separate platform. The transport management layer that tied it all together was, as Ben puts it, always at risk of “falling over.”

“There was a fundamental post-pandemic shift in terms of consumer expectations. It became critical for us to have a ship-from-store option, nominated-day delivery, accurate delivery times at checkout, and exchanges.” 

Without the ability to test or adjust delivery options, delivery costs sat on the P&L as a fixed line — accepted but never interrogated. “I don't know why I never really focused on the delivery line of my P&L,” Jones admits. “I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to realistically and accurately test what was going on. It was just there. Now we're able to run tests, and the results have changed how we think about the whole thing.”

Gaining control over delivery experience

OSPREY LONDON replaced every system in the business over two years — ERP, WMS, finance, point of sale — before launching their new digital flagship on Centra in October. Ingrid was a deliberate choice for the delivery and returns layer. 

A key proof point was seeing what another British retail business, Paul Smith, had successfully achieved with Ingrid, but the deeper motivation was in “control over the front-end checkout process, customer journey moments like a product page delivery widget, and consolidating delivery and returns platforms,” Ben says. 

Multi-carrier strategy: 90% of UK volume shifted to cost-efficient options

One of the most immediate changes was offering customers multiple carrier options at checkout. The results were not what Ben expected. “We always had DPD as our premium delivery option, and I've actually seen a massive shift  — 90% of our UK volume is going through a more cost-efficient Royal Mail,” he says. “I'm not relying on what I think anymore. I'm actually giving customers that choice, and they think they’re getting a better service. We’re saving a huge amount of delivery costs, too.” 

Free shipping threshold optimization: Raising the bar without hurting conversion

With Ingrid's A/B testing capabilities, Ben began questioning another piece of common assumption. “Previously, we had a free delivery threshold that we set around our AOV, which seems to be the conventional wisdom,” Ben explains.

With Ingrid's checkout and A/B testing capabilities now in place, the team began questioning those assumptions. One of the first experiments was raising the free shipping threshold from £100 to £150. The expectation, based on customer surveys that consistently ranked free delivery as a top priority, was that conversion would take a hit.

It didn't. Conversion rates held steady, order values remained unchanged, but shipping revenue increased. “It was counterintuitive,” Ben says. “Customers always tell you they want free delivery, but what they actually do at checkout is often quite different.” In fact, actual consumer behavior often contradicts survey responses. Consumers might state a preference for sustainable options, as an example, but opt for cheaper alternatives in a real-life situation.

The team is now running a continuous testing program — on premium delivery pricing, threshold levels, and carrier options — and treating delivery economics as a dynamic optimization strategy rather than a fixed line item.

Branded tracking and cross-sell opportunities

As part of a broader brand refresh, all transactional and post-purchase emails, including delivery tracking, are moving to OSPREY LONDON's CRM, fully branded and consistent with the rest of the customer experience. The tracking widget will pull customers back into a redesigned account area on the website, opening up cross-sell opportunities.

“We've made a conscious decision to make sure all our emails are coming from our CRM and are properly branded. All our tracking emails will be coming from there, and then we're going to pull people into the custom area on the site. There's selling opportunities there as well.” Additionally, they plan to embed the tracking widget into in-store endless aisle order receipts to be refreshed with each email open.

Delivery and returns as loyalty program benefits

Ben sees delivery and returns as increasingly central to OSPREY LONDON's customer strategy, not a back-office function. The brand is planning a major overhaul of its loyalty program, and Ingrid will be core to the proposition. The thinking is a tiered system, not points-based, where benefits might include free delivery on every order, extended return windows, or free returns exclusively for program members.

“Whether it's free delivery for every order, or maybe longer return periods, or only giving free returns to people that have signed up as part of that program — which we can do using Ingrid — is going to be really good for us.”

Automated exchange process for faulty items

One area where the impact was immediate and tangible was exchanges for faulty items. Under the old setup, the team waited for a faulty product to physically arrive back at the warehouse before processing a replacement order. If the replacement had gone out of stock in the meantime, the customer was left with neither product nor resolution.

With Ingrid and Centra working together, a new order is now created automatically as soon as the customer initiates a return for a faulty item. The replacement ships before the original item arrives back, and the improvement in customer satisfaction was immediate and obvious.

Next on the list is exploring exchanges for higher-priced variants, where the customer pays the difference — a feature Ben is particularly keen to release for a premium brand where customers often trade up. “Exchanges for higher-priced products — I'm really looking forward to seeing what effect that has.”

Operational gains behind the scenes

Ben highlighted that Osprey's improved WMS and front-end setup have allowed them to offer next-day delivery consistently, even during peak periods like Christmas, without having to suspend it as they did in the past. This has led to increased conversion rates by ensuring customers receive their orders promptly when needed. 

From cost line to profit driver: A mindset shift

Perhaps the most significant shift Ben describes is not a specific feature or metric — it is a change in mindset. Delivery was historically an accepted loss on the P&L. It is now something the team actively manages, tests, and optimizes. For a premium brand where the customer experience extends well beyond the product itself, that shift matters.

“We've gone from delivery being something passive on the P&L to it being something we're genuinely proactive about,” Jones says. “It's now an efficiency driver, a revenue driver, and a customer experience driver. That's a big change for us, and I think it's a change a lot of brands still haven't introduced.”

About Ingrid

Delivery is being redesigned. What once lived at the edge of e-commerce strategy now defines profitability, conversion, and long-term customer trust. Ingrid is the delivery intelligence platform that helps retailers design, test and execute delivery strategy across the entire customer journey — from checkout to tracking, returns to exchanges.

With built-in A/B testing, 350+ carrier integrations, and 250+ leading retailers on board including Paul Smith, ME+EM, and NA-KD, Ingrid powers seamless delivery experiences across 170+ markets. Curious to see how Ingrid can help you create standout delivery experiences that boost customer satisfaction, loyalty, and improve margins?

Get in touch to learn more →