Fulfillment tips from ex Play.com Head of Supply

Scott McGinley

If anyone should know a thing or two about fulfillment, it’s Scott McGinley who was until recently the Head of Supply Chain for Play.com.

Scott has landed at Dalepak, specialists in warehousing, distribution and contract packaging so we asked him what Dalepak do that makes them stand out from the competition in the fulfillment business and what makes them attractive to retailers wanting to outsource their warehousing.

Scott highlighted five key points that are key to choosing a fulfillment partner.

Dalepak Merchant Marketplace Model

No start up costs

One of the problems for many retailers who start off working from home is the cost of setting up a warehouse for some or all of their stock when they outgrow the bedroom or garage. Fulfillment services can enable a business to grow without having to invest in warehousing, packaging stations, racking etc.

Dalepak don’t even charge for any IT setup costs when you start fulfilling through them.

Access to Industry leading delivery services

Choice of delivery is increasingly important to consumers and in 2013 we’re expecting more retailers to start offering timed delivery slots (AM/PM/Evening) as well as a choice of delivery to home, delivery to locker or delivery to local collection point (often in a local shop).

Dalepak already have a full range of delivery options which as well as traditional delivery companies include services such as Same Day delivery, Collect+, Bybox and of course Full returns management.

Access to Industry leading carrier rates

Scale is what allows large businesses to negotiate the best courier rates not normally accessible to smaller and mid-sized retailers.

Dalepak already ship thousands of orders per day, over 2000 per day for some clients and have some of the best courier rates available. Potentially you could save money though accessing courier rates a fulfillment house can offer.

Flexibility

Having worked at Play.com Scott is familiar with the issues of stock management, barcodes and goods that come without individual packaging. Unlike services such as Amazon FBA Dalepak are flexible with no list of rules or bar code requirements to be eligible to use their fulfillment services.

It doesn’t matter if you’re goods are bar coded and arrive ready to be shipped, or if you’re selling items such as clothing which arrives requiring packaging and picking by colour and size – Get your supplier to ship direct to Dalepak and they’ll handle everything for you. They’ll even handle the freight forwarding if you’re importing from abroad.

Scalability

It won’t matter how small you start off or how big you grow, Dalepak have 340,000 square foot of space over three distribution centers. A fulfillment house service allows you to expand as your business grows. More importantly they can flex at busy times of year such as Christmas when you’re busiest leaving you to get on with the business of sourcing and selling.

Case Study

Aurelia Skincare are a new business in a start up phase and have just chosen Dalepaq as their fulfillment partner on a three year contract.

Founded by global pharmaceutical and dermatology expert Claire Vero, they have created a British skincare brand that is sure to get the beauty industry talking: Aurelia Probiotic Skincare, a luxury probiotic range fused with BioOrganicbotanical ingredients.

With a strong background in pharmaceuticals, Claire worked for one of the world’s leading global pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies, GlaxoSmithKline. As a Marketing Director within GSK’s Global Dermatology Centre of Excellence she took a leading role in launching evidence-based technology into markets whilst identifying and considering the varying needs of different skin types around the world. Inspired to hand-pick key elements from her journey and develop her dream skincare collection, Aurelia Probiotic Skincare, a scientific, BioOrganic, age preventative line, was born.

Aurelia Skincare were featured in Grazia, Elle and the Metro in January 2013 with great reviews. As well as fulfilling orders Dalepak are rolling the muslins and tying them with ribbon, sourcing the black boxes and wrapping everything in tissue. They’ll also be hand writing gift cards soon – fulfillment isn’t just shifting products, it’s making the delivery experience as personal as if you were doing it yourself.