Challenge

In 2017, Shift started in the United Kingdom with the goal of transforming urban delivery services. From furniture moving to piano removal, the company wanted to make things easy for customers and drivers. But key tasks – such as driver onboarding, payment handling, and invoice management – were being performed manually, which reduced driver and customer satisfaction.

The company’s top priorities were scaling the business and expanding further into new markets, particularly in the EU, but its existing payment system didn’t extend outside the UK. Shift felt this limitation when it planned to buy Movinga, a company with wide reach across Europe.

“We wanted to make it easy for our new drivers from Movinga to switch to Shift’s platform,” said Ewan Grewal, director of marketplace at Shift. “As our business expanded in the EU, we also needed a partner that supports local payment methods and facilitates international payments.”

Shift also wanted to broaden its omnichannel capabilities, but it faced challenges in unifying in-person and online transactions. To scale, the company needed a reliable, enterprise-grade payment solution that could handle payments and interactions with both drivers and their customers, power global expansion opportunities, and coordinate omnichannel payments.

Solution

Shift started using Stripe Connect to integrate payments into its platform and simplify the onboarding process. With Connect, Shift can now onboard drivers in minutes – without the up-front costs or development time usually required for payment facilitation. During this process, Shift uses Stripe Identity to verify drivers. Once a driver is set up, Stripe Instant Payouts sits under the hood of Shift Payments, allowing drivers to receive funds to their accounts in minutes rather than waiting on standard payout schedules.

With Connect, Shift was also able to easily turn on local payment methods without any additional integration time, allowing drivers on the platform to serve customers outside the UK. Drivers and customers in different regions can now use the app with their familiar payment methods. Thanks to the flexibility of offering local payment methods, Shift has been able to continue scaling.

“Offering European payments has been a great help for us, especially since we bought Movinga in early 2023,” said Grewal. “Looking forward, we’re excited about leveraging Stripe’s VAT API for smoother VAT handling and potentially developing a ‘Stripe wallet’ within our driver app.”

Using Stripe Terminal – Stripe’s solution for handling in-person payments – Shift launched its own self-service terminals in prominent stores such as IKEA. These terminals now allow customers to arrange deliveries after making in-store purchases. For other locations, Shift implemented Tap to Pay through self-service kiosks, enabling contactless payments with a smartphone.

Results

Onboarding new drivers in minutes

With Connect and Identity, new drivers are now onboarded in only 5 minutes – a significant reduction from the previous 48-hour wait. This streamlined approach allows Shift to onboard 30-50 drivers each week. Shift has also transformed its payout system. Instead of the traditional 28-day wait for earnings, drivers can now access their pay instantly for a small fee.

“We’re saving at least 10 hours each week on payment handling, and more importantly, offering instant payouts,” said Grewal. “It’s made a huge difference. Drivers get their pay immediately, especially when correcting our own mistakes, and that’s a big win for everyone.”

Expanding globally with local payment methods

By integrating local payment methods, Shift has expanded into seven countries. It has established itself as a booming large-item logistics marketplace in Europe, growing its workforce to over 300 employees.

“Our growth in Europe is just the beginning,” said Grewal. “With each new market, like the Middle East and America, we’re seeing the impact of efficient global payment processing.”

Unifying payments and reaching more customers

By combining Connect with Terminal and Tap to Pay, Shift created a powerful, unified commerce experience. Shift customers can now pay either online or at self-service kiosks in stores. This simplifies the payment process for customers and allows Shift to reach a broader audience. Additionally, Shift can now efficiently manage its entire financial operations – processing online and in-store transactions, handling refunds, and resolving disputes – all through Stripe’s hosted Dashboard.

“Introducing self-service kiosks with major retailers like IKEA and Homebase, and aligning with a unified commerce approach removes a major barrier for our customers. They can now buy without worrying about transportation – a game changer, especially in cities like London with high public transit use,” said Grewal.