It’s that time of year to check back in for another ControlPort Update, where we take you through the key features, improvements and fixes our team has been working on over the last few months.
While tech work generally slows down towards the end of the year so our team can focus on delivering Peak and keeping our platform functional, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some developments on new evergreen features for ControlPort™.
In this update, we’re pleased to share two new carrier integrations, the ability to add gift packaging to Shopify orders, and improvements to MFA, returns reporting, and more!
So without further ado, welcome to the ControlPort™ Winter Release 2026.
In this article
Flagship Update
We understand that choosing who you ship with is important, and everyone has their own preferences when it comes to balancing speed and cost in last-mile delivery.
We’re pleased to share that we’ve partnered with two new carriers, OnTrac (Columbus, US) and InPost (Northampton, UK), and have completed development of the integrations to connect their services to our platform.
OnTrac
We were thrilled to onboard OnTrac into our carrier network ahead of Peak 2025.
Collecting from our Columbus fulfilment centre, OnTrac’s Ground Service is a fantastic alternative to USPS’s similar Ground Advantage service, and offers cost-effective shipping to approximately 70% of metropolitan United States.
In its short time with us, OnTrac has proven itself to be a reliable partner, with its competitive rates resulting in cost savings for many of our clients.
InPost
InPost is the latest carrier to join our UK network. With over 7,000 lockers nationwide, you’ve probably seen their secure compartments outside your local supermarket or at the petrol station.
InPost are J&J’s first locker-exclusive partner, and is perfect for customers who work long hours but want a safe, convenient place for their deliveries to await collection. Later in the year, InPost are set to partner with Yodel to offer home delivery, too.
While our integration is fully complete, we’re in the final stages of testing InPost to ensure their service meets the standards you expect from us. Assuming all goes well, we’ll be in a position to formally launch the service in the very near future.
Other Updates
Returns Contents Report
We’ve given our Returns reporting functionality a significant upgrade with our brand new Returns Contents Report. It takes your existing returns data but breaks it down by SKU-level rather than by Order.
It’s a more granular view of returned products that should help you pinpoint problem products, identify trends, and use that information to make proactive decisions to reduce the number of returns you receive, all much faster and easier than before.
To view the new dashboard, head to Returns > Return Contents.
Gift Packaging for Shopify Orders
Our platform now supports gift packaging options for the end-customers of our Shopify clients. If you decide to offer gift packing to your customers and they select the option at checkout, our fulfilment centre team will be notified.
Gift packaging is added to our existing custom packaging offering as an additional service. It provides additional customisation for your customers, particularly those buying for birthdays, Christmas, and other occasions.
If you’re interested in offering gift packaging to your Shopify customers and want to find out more, please do get in touch.
Third-Party MFA Support
Last year, we made MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) compulsory for all ControlPort™ users as part of our commitment to data security and to keep accounts safe from ever-evolving threats.
While we intended to make this change as seamless as we could, we understand that our email-based authentication method is causing some friction, so we’re pleased to share that ControlPort™ now supports third-party MFA applications, such as Authy and Google Authenticator.
You can enable third-party authentication apps in ControlPort™ by heading to Settings > Add MFA Device and following the on-screen instructions.
Royal Mail (UK) Tracking Improvements
We’ve updated our Royal Mail integration to allow Royal Mail to send your customers a pre-advice SMS / Email when they are expecting an order from us on your behalf.
Crucially, the shipper will be your brand name (not J&J!) to prevent any confusion.
Your customer will also receive an email from Royal Mail when the parcel has been delivered.
A small change that goes a long way in improving customer confidence during the post-checkout experience.
Small Updates and Bug Fixes
- Bug Fix: Resolved a timeout issue with the Product Analysis Dashboard.
- Bug Fix: Resolved an issue that resulted in some customers not receiving tracking numbers from Amazon.
- Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that was causing the Stock Pools interface to render incorrectly.
- Bug Fix: Updated our ControlPort™ API to allow users to hold orders in the fulfilment centre.
- Bug Fix: Resolved an issue with our Norsk integration that was preventing tracking numbers from being returned to customers.
- Bug Fix: Resolved an issue in ViewPort that was preventing tracking numbers for tracked returns from being displayed.
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