Älykotituotteet.fi is a 100% Finnish family business and an online store based in Lohja, selling products that make everyday home life easier and more automated. The range includes lighting control, smart plugs, thermostats, energy monitoring, alarms and security cameras. Many of the products are particularly well suited to users of Home Assistant, Zigbee and Matter systems.
Johanna and Jaakko Hölsö knew Älykotituotteet.fi well long before they became its owners: they were customers of the store themselves and keen smart home enthusiasts. When the previous owner was about to close the business, the couple did not want to see a good store disappear. In May 2025, they took over the store, and since then they have expanded the product range and purposefully developed the business.
The idea is to build an online store run by enthusiasts for users, where products are not just sold, but their use, compatibility and limitations are explained as clearly as possible before purchase.
The product range is not built around whatever happens to be available from wholesalers. The Hölsös choose products they would use themselves and test them in their own systems whenever possible. The product pages aim to explain as clearly as possible how each product works with, for example, Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT, ZHA and Matter, as well as any practical limitations.
“With a smart home device, it isn’t always enough that it technically uses Zigbee, for example. What matters much more to the customer is knowing whether it works in their particular system and which features are actually available there,” Johanna and Jaakko explain.
The store also creates its own guides, such as a Finnish-language Home Assistant guide for those starting to build their own system. All stocked products are shipped through Lohja, which helps keep the warehouse and products in their own hands and get orders on their way quickly.
Manual shipping no longer worked for a growing online store
For the first few months, shipping was handled the same way as under the previous owner: by buying Matkahuolto prepaid parcels and creating shipments one at a time. That worked at low volumes, but as orders grew, the process quickly became a burden.
Today, the store ships around 150–250 parcels a month within Finland, and most of its customers are consumers. For the Hölsös, it was clear from the start that repetitive tasks should be automated.
“It’s really the same idea as with a smart home: automate the routines and spend your own time on things where a person actually makes a difference,” Jaakko and Johanna say.
They also wanted pickup points, multiple carriers and the smoothest possible connection to Shopify in their online store. The time saved was to be spent where a small specialist store brings the most value to its customers: testing products, checking compatibility, working on product pages and customer service.
A familiar service with a quick setup
The Hölsös were already familiar with Shipit: they had around eight years of experience with the service through previous work. In addition to their positive experience, the choice was influenced by the Shopify integration, the ability to automate shipment handling, the wide range of carriers and competitive pricing.
“For a small online store, it also matters a lot that you can actually reach a real person when needed and get help with practical questions.”
The store uses Shopify and the Shipit Delivery Checkout app. The setup itself was quick. At the start, they ran into one technical issue, which was resolved with the help of Shipit’s customer service and developers.
Most of the work was done on their own side. The store upgraded its Shopify plan to enable the pickup point options it wanted, weighed its products and defined parcel sizes.
“That work was worth doing properly, because after that, the process has become largely automated.”
Bulk processing handles the technical side, people make sure the contents are right
Today, the process is straightforward. Orders are first picked and packed, and only once everything has been checked are the shipments processed in one go and the shipping labels printed.
“We deliberately don’t print the shipping label as soon as an order comes in, even though that would also be possible. We want to physically make sure the order is correct first. Thanks to bulk processing, this step is also very quick.”
The Shopify integration and bulk processing are the store’s most important features, because they eliminate a huge amount of unnecessary manual work. Next, the plan is to bring more barcodes into the process.
Customers are offered deliveries with Matkahuolto, Posti and DSV, so everyone can choose the option that suits their area. Matkahuolto is by far the most used: many smart home devices are small, so a large share of orders fit into the cost-effective XXS size. Matkahuolto also collects outgoing parcels regularly in the afternoons, so the store no longer has to drop them off. Returns are handled through the same setup.
The store also uses Shipit’s customized email, which serves as its own shipping confirmation. When a parcel is sent, the customer receives a message with the store’s look and logo, letting them know that their smart shipment is on its way.
“As a small online store, we want to keep the customer experience personal even after the order has left us.”
When a parcel drops off the radar, Shipit helps sort it out
For the Hölsös, automation is about more than just saving working hours. Every manual step removed from the shipping process frees up time to test a new device, check Home Assistant compatibility or improve the instructions on a product page. The daily parcel collection also saves time every single day.
Occasionally, a customer has got in touch when a parcel did not seem to be arriving as expected. In those cases, the store has turned to Shipit’s customer service.
“Shipit has direct contacts with the carriers, and we’ve usually found out within just a few hours where the parcel actually is. Sometimes the parcel has already been at the right pickup point, but for one reason or another it hasn’t been registered normally in the carrier’s system. We’ve been able to give the customer accurate information quickly instead of being left guessing.”
The Hölsös describe the customer service as excellent and personal. They have received help with the setup, technical questions, individual shipments and planning future shipping solutions.
“We especially appreciate that the customer service doesn’t feel like a faceless ticketing system. You can actually talk things through with a real person, and the help is practical,” Johanna and Jaakko say.
Looking ahead to growth and international markets
Älykotituotteet.fi has grown steadily. Recently, the store has invested in its own warehouse and in expanding its product range, and internationalization is next on the agenda. The Hölsös have already gone through with Shipit what options would be available for international shipments.
“Shipit’s prices also look competitive for international shipments, for example to Sweden. We don’t see Shipit as just a tool for printing shipping labels, but as a partner we can work with to figure out how best to organize logistics as the company grows.”
For companies considering Shipit, the Hölsös sum up their experience like this:
Shipit is a reliable partner for us. It automates a large part of our webshop’s shipping process, but when we need it, we can also get help from a real person. For a small webshop, that combination is incredibly valuable: automation, great delivery options and personal service.
Would you like to automate your online store’s shipping too?
Read more about Shipit’s services for online stores and the Shipit Delivery Checkout app for Shopify, or explore all our integrations. Our customer service is available on weekdays from 9:00 to 16:00 in Finnish, English and Swedish.