Order Fulfilment For Ecommerce Case Study - Batoko Ethical Swimwear – Adapting Fulfilment Services for a Non-Standard Client
Order fulfilment for ecommerce adapting to non-standard requirements and sustainable principles
Batoko are one of those remarkable ecommerce brands that have perfectly blended ethical considerations with a very astute, and marketable, idea. Their business is founded on taking the plastic waste we all hate and recycling it into excellent and desirable swimwear.
It’s a great idea that soon took off as more and more swimmers saw and heard about this novel product range, that attempted to meet so many sustainability criteria. Business growth took off so well that their existing order fulfilment services began to struggle with demand from customers across the wild swimming world.
The product range aligned strongly with our own values. So, the Copper Beech team sat down and looked at how we could resolve Batoko's various challenges.
The 3 Challenges: Ecommerce Fulfilment Services, Inventory Management Process Without Barcodes and Order Packing With Sustainable Materials
The first problem to solve was a practical one. In most cases, 3PL and shipping companies have certain requirements to process ecommerce businesses' goods efficiently . One of these is bar coded products. In fact, bar codes are a requirement for many warehouse environments. The fly in the ointment here was that Bakoto do not use barcodes.
As well as the barcode hurdle, Batoko had some other specific issues. Their online sales for example, would result in a huge shipping spike around Black Friday. Finally, there was a further requirement. Their logistics must meet their recycling and environmental approach. The warehousing, logistics, and packaging needed to match the strong ethical values that underpinned Batoko and their products.Naturally, they wanted full menu of 3PL services:
- a UK fulfilment centre
- a dedicated warehouse storage area
- order fulfilment processes that do not need barcodes
- reliable order management
- custom packaging that adhered to Batoko's sustainable ethos
- access to cost effective shipping services and couriers
- tracking and delivery options as well as storage
- flexibility to adapt to highly variable variable shipping requirement
Our response
An Ecommerce Fulfilment Solution Which Leveraged A Flexible, Dedicated Team Who Adapted to No Barcodes and Seasonal Spikes
We knew we could help with their ecommerce fulfilment; it was just a matter of developing the right fulfilment solution so that Batoko could continue to provide ‘… bold swimwear from recycled plastic for nature lovers joy seekers and wild souls’.
A Novel Global Fulfilment Solution
The first step was to create a dedicated area in our warehousing facility to allow us to store and process Batoko products. We were able to integrate with their Shopify based sales platform. Next, we trained our own dedicated team who would work on Batoko goods without barcodes. As we mentioned earlier this was key to the process.
The personal service approach and close relationship we then developed with Mark Bonser and his team at Batoko, meant that we could anticipate and account for spikes in traffic such as Black Friday and similar events. Preparing for such expected booms in sales also meant we had the mechanisms in place for unexpected or irregular ones. So, whatever happened at Batoko, we could flex to match their demand.
Finally, we sourced the sustainable packaging that matched Batoko’s ethical standards. Now we were where we needed to be, to be entrusted as the ecommerce fulfilment provider for Mark and his team: as an extension of their dedication to their sustainability mission and ethical brand.
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