Frequently Asked Questions

The GEL Proximity technology service has no activation costs or monthly fees. The economic model involves payment for services activated on the Platform and actually “consumed.”

The costs of individual shipments purchased directly through GEL Proximity’s pre-negotiated rates depend on the weight (actual or volumetric) of the package shipped and the volumes sent monthly through the GEL Proximity solution.

Learn more about the DELIVERY Plan rates!

Of course! You can also use GEL Proximity in “labeling” mode by entering your personal contract codes into the Platform. This way you will be able to take advantage of the technology services for a few cents per label generated and always maintaining a direct relationship with your couriers! To enable this option, simply enter your login credentials, for the networks you want to enable, in the “Networks and Plans > Enabled Networks” section.

Don’t have a contract with all carriers? No problem, you can also use our pre-negotiated rates!

GEL Proximity technology instantly verifies that your credentials are working. If you displayed an error message first verify that the credentials you entered are correct.

If you still cannot log in, contact the contact person at the carrier you want to enable and make sure that your contract code is enabled for service management through external providers. This service is generally free and is activated in a short time. Once activated, the courier contact person will provide you with credentials to enable your contract on GEL Proximity.

If you still cannot activate your contract on GEL, contact your GEL Proximity referral account to request support.

The volumetric weight is calculated by multiplying the three dimensions of the parcel (H x W x D) by the weight-volume ratio coefficient available in each operator’s network tab found in the “Enabled Networks” section of the platform.

To remove any doubt, here is a practical example:
H=0.3m
L=0.5m
P=0.2m
Weight/volume ratio=200kg/m³
Volumetric weight = 0.3 x 0.5 x 0.2 x 200 = 6kg

Note: If the dimensions of the package are expressed in centimeters, it is necessary to divide the result by 1,000,000.

You will automatically find wallet enabled in the platform. You will simply need to make a credit card recharge to start shipping your parcels in Proximity. If you fear that your parcels may be sitting idle in the warehouse, you can always enable automatic reloads and forget about payments!

At the end of each month you will receive an invoice for all refills made.

You can also request a monthly line of credit with 30-day payment for those who handle large volumes of shipments in Proximity. Contact your GEL Proximity referral account to request enablement.

Profiles change based on the number of personal contract services you have activated. There are 3 different profiles available, each of which allows you to use a number of personal contracts:

none for the eCommerce profile;
maximum 2 for the Tech profile;
more than 2 for the Supply Chain profile;

Service means using a personal contract to ship or return your customers’ packages with a network present on GEL Proximity. Let’s give some examples:

you have a contract with network “X” and want to leverage your terms for both shipping and return services? In this case enabled services will be two and you will be assigned to the Tech profile.
have a contract with networks “X” and “Y” and want to unlock only shipping services? In this case enabled services will be two and you will be assigned to the Tech profile.
you have a contract with networks “X” and “Y” and want to unlock shipping and return services for network “X” and only return services for network “Y”? In this case enabled services will be three and you will be assigned to the Supply Chain profile.

Visit the DELIVERY plan page to learn more.

If you need more access, under “Accounts > Permissions and Roles” you can create new users to assign to your co-workers and employees. Also, for each user, you can define which functions and screens to make visible.

Sure. Go to the shipping or returns screen, depending on the type of label you are looking for, select the line and click on the top right “view label.”

Alternatively, you can get the same result by right-clicking on the row and selecting “view label.”

To make label printing management more efficient, GEL technology allows you to connect your printer directly to the platform, without having to install any drivers. Enter the email associated with your printer in the field provided in the “Labels” section and instantly print all waybills with a single click.

The Networks integrated into the GEL Proximity platform make available different formats for label printing. In the “Labels” section you can select the format you prefer for each of the networks you have enabled.

GEL Proximity has created a selection of transactional emails to inform customers about the status of a shipment or return. You can select in the platform which emails to automatically send to your customers whenever there is a status change. GEL Proximity therefore overrides any communication sent by individual couriers and allows you to best manage your relationship with your client.

Unlike major logistics operators, with GEL Proximity you can customize the template of the emails you send by inserting your company logo and customizing the text of the emails.

You can also configure your SMTP to manage the email sending server internally.

The bordero is a document required by couriers indicating the list of packages entrusted to the same.

The GEL Proximity platform automatically creates a bordero to be delivered to the courier. The document can be printed manually or sent daily, at a preset time, to the email entered in the appropriate “Borderò” section of the platform.

If you need a copy of the borderos you can go to the shipments screen, click on the top right “Borderos” and, once you select warehouse and day, you will automatically download all the borderos (one per carrier) related to those specifics.

Note: The “date” field refers to the “Estimated Picking Date” column, not the date the order was received.

If you need to look up the bordero for a specific order, you must retrieve the expected picking date in the “Expected Picking Date” column of the same name. Once you have retrieved the date, click on “Borders” in the upper right corner, identify the correct warehouse, and report this date to print the bordero.

Here is an example to clear up any doubts:

Order date: 16/06/2022
Order: 123456
Departing warehouse: MAG1
Estimated picking date: 17/06/2022

To retrieve the bordero for this order, simply click on bordero in the upper right corner from the shipments screen and select “MAG1” from the “Picking point” list and date “17/06/2022” from the “Picking date” list.

Of course! On GEL you can import all the boxes you use, either manually or automatically in case your eCommerce is connected to a management system or a Warehouse Management System (WMS).

For each shipment, before confirming the order, you can change the package dimensions and weights to get a reliable estimate of expected logistics costs and keep track of the most frequently used boxes!

Of course! You just need to add the addresses of all your warehouses and select the correct one before generating the label.

To change the warehouse set as default open the “Warehouse > Addresses and Schedules” page, click “Edit” on the tab of the warehouse to be made default, and finally, within the popup, click “Set as Main Warehouse.”

To change the box set as default, open the “Warehouse > Packaging and Boxes” page, select the box to be made default, and click on “Set/Delete Default” from the options menu in the upper right corner.

Alternatively, right-click on the row and select “Set/Delete Default” from the drop-down menu.

If the customer does not pick up the package within the network-defined days of storage, the package will be returned to the warehouse from which it originated.

To prevent this from happening, monitor the “Residual Days in Stock” column from the “Shipments” screen. Please note that in the “Tracking Notifications” section you can enable the “Parcel in Storage at Pickup Point” email to send a daily reminder email to the customer.

To confirm a shipment, simply select the row(s) in “New” status from the shipment screen and click “Generate Label” at the top right.

Before generating the label you can change the starting point of the shipment directly from the shipments screen. To do this, simply select another warehouse from the list that appears by clicking on the pencil in the “Departure Point” column.

Before generating the label, you can change the size of the box directly from the shipping screen. There are two ways to do this:

• individually change the three dimensions (height, width and depth) from the appropriate columns by clicking on the pencil;
• select another package from the list that appears by clicking on the pencil present in the “Selected Box” column.

There is no one-size-fits-all rule; each operator defines its own management specifications. Before enabling a network, check what the maximum size accepted is directly in the operator’s network tab, available in the “Networks and Plans” section of the GEL Proximity platform.

By communicating the size of the box directly at checkout however, GEL technology can show on the map only the Pickup Points that accept the package specifications, further personalizing the user experience.

If you think your package size may be an issue, request a dedicated consultation!

You can cancel shipments until the pickup reservation is confirmed by selecting the order line and clicking on “Cancel Order” from the “Options” menu in the upper right corner.

If the couriers you have enabled already make a daily pickup at your warehouses (fixed pickup) then no reservation is required: print the labels, affix them to the parcels, and deliver the parcels to the pickup operator in exactly the same way as for home shipments.

If, on the other hand, you need to reserve pickup for at least one of the couriers you have enabled, go to the “Warehouse > Booking Settings” page and enable picking reservations. Once enabled, select the suggested picking time and the booking sending time.

Note: Booking sending time means the time when picking requests will be automatically sent to the respective carriers for orders already confirmed by the warehouse.

There are several ways to use the GEL Proximity returns service. You can integrate the map directly on your returns management page, customizing it as you like via the dedicated API, or, in case you do not already have a dedicated page, you can use the portal provided by GEL. You can enable it in the “Checkout > Returns Portal” section.

Note: remember to save your changes with the appropriate button in the bottom right corner

If your site is built with one of the technologies we partner with, all you need to do is download the plugin and enable the portal to easily manage the return flows as well!

The return process is very simple, although it depends on the type of integration you adopt. GEL provides a dedicated portal where your customers can select the Return Point they prefer, but nothing will prevent you from handling requests in a customized way thanks to the dedicated API.

Upon receiving the return request, you can decide whether to accept it manually or automatically. Once confirmed, we will send an email to the customer that includes the return label to be affixed to the package, a summary of the selected Collection Point, and a few simple instructions.

Done! As soon as your customer deposits the package we will arrange for it to be returned to your warehouse as soon as possible.

To customize the order of the columns, simply drag the column to the desired location. Also, by hovering your cursor over the column name and clicking on the drop-down menu, you can “lock” the column so that it remains fixed as you scroll horizontally between columns.

When you finish customizing, remember to click the gear-shaped wheel in the lower right corner and then “save,” so that you will find the same configuration again the next time you reopen the platform.

To add more details regarding the order row, simply hover your cursor over a column name, click on the drop-down menu, and open the “Columns” popup. Scroll up and down with the arrows and enable the appropriate columns for the type of display you need.

When you have finished customizing, remember to click the gear-shaped wheel at the bottom right and then “save,” to find the same configuration again the next time you reopen the platform.

GEL Proximity provides optional insurance coverage against major risks associated with package shipping and storage.

You can decide whether to give your customers the option to select this additional service when selecting the Pickup Point or have them pay the insurance costs for each parcel handled by our technology.

Log in with your account to find out all the information about costs and maximums directly in the platform in the “Checkout > Insurance” section.

Click & Collect (click and collect, in Italian) consists of an omnichannel model that involves booking an item online and picking it up at a point of sale or store.

With GEL Proximity you can upload your network of stores and/or outlets directly to the map, thus increasing in-store walkability and benefiting from all the associated advantages. In addition, it is possible to disable the Pickup Points of other networks in specific areas to have territorial garrison through your own network.

The service can be activated for both shipments (Click & Collect) and returns (Click & Return).

To disable a previously entered Owner Point, simply enter the “Networks and Plans > Enabled Networks” page, click on “Manage Your Stores” from the “Owner Points” tab, select the point of interest, and click “Disable” found in the “Options” menu at the top right.

To change the opening and closing times of your outlets or stores, simply enter the “Networks and Plans > Enabled Networks” page, click on “Manage Your Stores” of the “Owner Points” tab, and double-click on the Collection Point to be changed.

Inside the popup all the master information of the chosen point is visible and it is possible to change the opening times present in the “Hours” submenu.

In the “Networks and Plans > Collection Points” section, you can disable the Collection Points present by zip code, province, or region.

Proprietary Points are not subject to this restriction.

You can integrate GEL Proximity with any type of eCommerce and technology system through the extensive library of integrations made available.

Each integration is constantly updated, and allows you to use GEL Proximity in minutes through an optimized user experience but also to completely customize the Point of Collection selection flow.

Need support on how to integrate? Contact us!

It is possible that your eCommerce uses customizations that conflict with the logic of the GEL Proximity plugin. In this case, you need to have your developers check for any incompatibilities and correct them directly on your eCommerce. Don’t have developers working on your eCommerce? Contact us!

You can also integrate GEL Proximity on your eCommerce through our SDK library or through the API provided by GEL Proximity by performing a dedicated development.

If you are not willing or do not have the ability to perform a dedicated development to integrate GEL Proximity please contact us to find out if we have plans to implement a dedicated module for your eCommerce.