Catwalk Collection partnered with 3PL for order fulfilment over 12 years ago and never looked back
This is how they did it.
A Long-Term Partnership: Why Catwalk Collection Handbags Have Outsourced Order Fulfilment to 3PL for 12+ Years
Case Study
Like most lucrative businesses, Catwalk Collection Handbags grew from virtually nothing.
It all started in a small box room in the family home where one or two designs of leather handbags were created to satisfy a need for an effective but stylish and fashionable model for the founder’s own personal use.
Family and friends were so impressed, that Founder, Jane Alison was motivated to do a bit of research into retail and decided to sell a few online to help with the family finances.
So successful were these initial designs that a few more were added, followed by a few more and a few more after that until the house was filled to overflowing with leather handbags.
Success Brought New Challenges
“I simply couldn’t cope with the amount of picking and packing required on a daily basis and the house was bursting at the seams with handbags. Even when my husband joined the business, we struggled to manage.,” explained Jane “We had fallen victim to our own success. It was at this point, in 2008 that a suitable storage and fulfilment solution was sought to free us up to concentrate on other aspects of the business.”
How did Catwalk Collection Handbags overcome their growing problems?
By partnering with 3PL for Multichannel Order Fulfilment.
Here’s how they did it 👇
Why 3PL?
So why did Jane decide to choose 3PL as their fulfilment partner? There were three main reasons:
- 3PL offered the perfect storage and fulfilment solution that could be specifically tailored to the needs of their business.
- Secure, dry, safe area to store valuable designer products. Everything from small boxed leather purses to large leather work bags needed adequate space in a secure environment.
- Competitive pricing meant great savings on storage, handling and shipping.
”"3PL isn’t just a standard fulfilment logistics company; it is always one step ahead of the marketplace. 3PL understands that the world of eCommerce is constantly changing and are prepared to adapt and evolve as necessary."
Jane AlisonFounder | Catwalk Collection Handbags
A True Multichannel Retailer
Catwalk Collection Handbags was one of the first companies to buck the trend of retail. Most retail outlets purchased from wholesales for resale in their shops, online or high street.
The Challenge
“We were one of the first companies to manufacture our own goods to sell online from our own retail outlets. This meant that our products were now being sold on several internet platforms.” Jane told us “Later, we would require shipping to warehouses both abroad and in the UK to satisfy orders from Amazon on the basis of Business to Business (B2B).”
The Solution
3PL took on the challenge of multi-channel sales outlets and integrated the software to be able to facilitate the processing of incoming orders.
At first, fulfilment was direct to the end customer (B2C) and a cleverly designed pick face was introduced by 3PL which later became fondly known by the staff as “Catwalk Alley”.
It worked extremely efficiently, which translated into keeping costs on pick and pack down for us yet delivering orders speedily to the consumer.
This is where 3PL comes into its own with intelligent fulfilment solutions. It isn’t just a standard fulfilment logistics company; it is always one step ahead of the marketplace. 3PL understands that the world of eCommerce is constantly changing and are prepared to adapt and evolve as necessary. In this case, 3PL were able to facilitate changes and adapt their own procedures to meet Amazon’s strict compliance rules.
The Results
Catwalk Collection Handbags has come a long way since it was created.
Advances in technology have not only seen changes in the type of products required by the end consumer such as handbags designed to carry tablets, iPads and laptops but websites have become savvier, too. Who knew that our customers would want to go shopping for handbags on their smartphones whilst commuting or having a lunch break?
“3PL has taken the everyday tasks off our hands and given us more time to dedicate to other important tasks such as design, production and marketing,” said Jane “It has given us time to develop new websites and to expand into more countries”
Results Recap
Here’s a quick summary of the results Catwalk Collection Handbags has been able to achieve by partnering with 3PL.
- Ability to expand into other countries
- Big savings on storage, handling and shipping
- Gave Jane the team more time to focus on design, production and marketing.
eCommerce Fulfilment
Amazon SFP Fulfilment
B2B Fulfilment
Value Added Services
Subscription Box Fulfilment
Fulfilment Centre
Crowdfunding Fulfilment
Freight Forwarding
Specialist Product Fulfilment
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