Stamp Free

Stamp Free wanted to replace stamps and printed labels with unique codes, called Digicodes, that could be scanned by carriers from anywhere on a parcel. We designed and delivered the MVP across four connected surfaces: a sender app, a carrier-facing scanning app, a web dashboard and the backend services needed to keep Digicodes unique, traceable and secure.

We delivered the MVP as four coordinated surfaces, all sharing one backend:

• A mobile sender app to generate Digicodes and post a parcel
• A carrier-facing app with computer-vision recognition of handwritten codes
• A web dashboard for tracking, partner visibility, and operations
• The backend services to make all of it work concurrently without code collisions

How we approached it

The hardest engineering challenge was the computer vision pipeline. Handwritten Digicodes vary by ink density, handwriting style, parcel surface, lighting and partial obscuration, so the system had to be tested against realistic depot conditions rather than ideal lab examples. Alongside recognition accuracy, we designed anti-duplication and fraud-prevention logic so each Digicode could be generated, validated and tracked without being reused or spoofed across the system.

Transforming the experience

The work that mattered most for Stamp Free was proving that the concept could become a real postal product. The MVP showed the full journey in action: a sender generating a Digicode, writing it onto a parcel or letter, and a carrier scanning and validating that same code as part of the delivery workflow. That turned a disruptive idea into something postal partners, early customers and investors could see, test and evaluate. The working product helped support Stamp Free's investment traction, with the company later raising £425,000 at a £2M pre-money valuation.