Finding a Match-Fit Fulfilment Partner

FINDING A MATCH-FIT FULFILMENT PARTNER

Publication brought to you by Modern Retail in association with GFS Fulfilment

SARAH EDMONDS ILLUSTRATION:

About GFS Fulfilment

Purpose-built ecommerce warehousing, state-of-the-art technology and tailormade pick and pack services – GFS Fulfilment offers flexible fulfilment solutions that are bespoke to you, no matter how detailed or complex.

The GFS Fulfilment team has over 50 years’ experience in ecommerce order fulfilment and this heritage and experience is central to building a longterm partnership that you can trust.

We believe that order fulfilment is all about creating an exceptional customer experience that delights customers, so they want to buy from you again. This is why we take pride in packing orders with as much care and attention as you would yourself.

Credits Thanks

Managing Editor

Rob Gamage - rob@modernretail.co.uk

Content Editor

Holly Worthington - holly@modernretail.co.uk

Business Development Manager

Emma Mjekiqi - emma@modernretail.co.uk

Modern Retail is published by Considered Digital Ltd (Registered Company Number 12684643).

Registered office address: 39 The Metro Centre, Tolpits Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, WD18 9SB.

Many thanks to the team at GFS for their help in putting together this publication. We hope it is a useful and informative guide! Please send any comments or suggestions to rob@modernretail.co.uk

Goods in We double-check for accuracy and report any discrepancies or quality issues

Pick and pack: With 99.97% picking accuracy and a range of packaging options, from custom bags and boxes to eco-friendly alternatives

Storage: Regularly refurbished and tailored to suit specific product categories

Shipping: As delivery specialists, we can offer a choice of 1,000+ delivery services from our growing carrier network – from click and collect to next-day delivery - with full track and trace facility

Order management: Instant visibility of despatched orders and stock levels

Returns: All returns are fully quality-checked and only placed back into stock if in a suitable resalable condition

FINDING A MATCH-FIT

FULFILMENT PARTNER

Sarah Edmonds, a self-taught illustrator, started her online business with a single illustration selling as prints and cards with an online marketplace.

Combining her love of illustration, nature, and wordplay, her cheeky puns became popular across marketplaces, craft markets, and independent shops.

As many eCommerce businesses found in 2020, sales for Sarah Edmonds Illustration grew very quickly as an increasing number of people were shopping online.

“During the pandemic, the business grew exponentially, as much of online shopping did with people working from home. It absolutely boomed, and I was having to handle much bigger volumes of stock to keep up with huge volumes of orders.”

Exponential Growth

By Christmas 2020, Sarah found that her volumes were growing faster than her local fulfilment warehouse could handle.

“Things were growing so much. Work was getting ordered by shops up and down the country and beyond the UK, so I was having much bigger order volumes going out.”

She realised the need for a fulfilment partner that could support her growth, protect the customer experience, and would take as much care as she did with packaging her products.

A New Partnership

After a recommendation from a marketplace that had an existing integration in place with GFS, Sarah found all that she needed with GFS, and

the partnership started in July 2021, and within no time, she was able to tailor her operations and GFS became an extension of the business.

Sarah feels that GFS ‘gets’ her business and wasn’t just a faceless drop ship company. Whether it was specific bespoke packaging requests or packaging up mugs ready for customers when bulk orders come in, Sarah is safe in the knowledge that GFS can take care of it.

Peak Planning

When it came to Peak 2021, Sarah’s new partnership with GFS meant that she was able to plan effectively in early September with the support of her GFS account manager. She was also safe in the knowledge that GFS could handle any unexpected volumes. Unlike Peak 2020 before working with GFS, Sarah didn’t have to turn off her selling at any point due to volumes, enabling her to keep selling throughout.

“In 2020 due to my order volumes, I did actually have to put my stores on hold at the beginning of December because we were so overwhelmed with orders and I felt very safe in the knowledge that I wouldn’t have to do that with GFS.”

International Selling

Sarah is now easily able to scale to markets beyond the UK, and reach out to more stockists and clients without worrying about capacity. More recently, she’s shipped a whole new calendar range to be stocked at Barnes & Noble in the US!

GFS integrates with all major marketplaces, eCommerce, and mCommerce platforms including NotOnTheHighStreet.

For more information see : https://hubs.ly/Q01yfN040

TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF & GROW YOUR BUSINESS.

Take the pressure off and grow your business faster with scalable logistics and fulfilment services.

Get a first-hand peek at what it’s like to work with a reliable fulfilment partner to get your products stored, picked, packed, and shipped to your customers.

Chat with similar-scale businesses as yours that are partnering with GFS Fulfilment to build their business and scale globally.

Open Day at GFS Fulfilment

Thursday 9th February

11am to 2pm incl. lunch

Canal View Rd, Newbury RG14 5XF

Fulfillment facility visit and Q&A, followed by lunch.

Reserve your spot at https://hubs.ly/Q01yfN040