How ANNA’S Wild Yam Cream cut dispatch time by 75% while scaling internationally with Starshipit

When orders surged to 1,000 a day, ANNA’S Wild Yam Cream needed shipping processes that could keep pace. See how Starshipit helps the Australian brand manage hundreds of daily shipments across 54 countries, giving its seven-person team more time to focus on growth.

Table of contents

• From family business to global demand
• The challenge: High order volumes and international complexity
• The solution: How Starshipit streamlined shipping
• The impact: 75% less dispatch time and more capacity for growth

The change didn’t happen at a steady pace. After ANNA’S went viral on social media in 2024, orders surged to as many as 1,000 in a day. By then, the team had already introduced Shopify and Starshipit in 2020, giving them a way to organise orders, automate repeat shipping tasks and manage international deliveries as demand grew.

ANNA’S estimates that its dispatch process now takes 75% less time than it would manually. For a small team, those hours mean more time for the customers and community at the heart of the brand.

The challenge: High order volumes and international complexity

Stock sold out, but demand continued. Some customers placed pre-orders knowing they could wait three or four months for their products. For a small business, managing that level of demand created significant operational pressure. Every order needed to be processed, organised and dispatched accurately, while the team continued supporting customers and managing the wider business.

Shipping to customers around the world

Order volume wasn't the only challenge.

As ANNA’S expanded internationally, its team needed to manage different shipping requirements across countries and regions. International orders required careful organisation, appropriate carrier selection and the correct shipment information and customs documentation.

Without efficient processes, these tasks could quickly consume valuable time and make it harder for the business to scale. ANNA’S needed shipping operations that could support both high order volumes and international complexity, without requiring its team to spend more of the day on manual dispatch tasks.

Melissa Gourlay, Chief Operating Officer at ANNA’S, says the ability to organise shipping work has been particularly valuable.

“You’re able to print it off, organise it by country, which is really important to us, and by region because everything needs to be dealt with in a different way. Just being able to organise and structure how we do our dispatch has been the biggest win with Starshipit.”

Melissa Gourlay, Chief Operating Officer, ANNA’S Wild Yam Cream

By reducing the manual work involved in preparing shipments, Starshipit helps the team spend less time on repetitive dispatch tasks.

The team can organise shipments by region, manage multiple carriers and prepare the shipping documentation required for international orders.

This gives ANNA’S a more structured approach to international dispatch as its customer base grows.

Starshipit's support team has played a key important role, helping ANNA’S configure shipping rules to suit its operations. Rather than relying on the team to manage every shipping requirement manually, ANNA’S can use established workflows to handle recurring tasks more efficiently.

75% less time spent on dispatch

One of the biggest improvements for ANNA’S has been the time saved on daily shipping tasks.

COO Melissa Gourlay estimates that dispatch work which could previously have taken around 12 hours manually now takes approximately three with Starshipit.

That's a 75% reduction in dispatch time, giving the team more time to focus on other areas of the business. For a company managing 200–300 parcels a day, reducing repetitive shipping tasks makes a significant difference to how efficiently the team operates.

More shipping capacity with a team of seven

Today, ANNA’S ships approximately 200–300 parcels daily to customers across 54 countries, supported by a team of just seven employees. Starshipit's automation helps the business manage these volumes without placing unnecessary pressure on its internal team.

Melissa estimates that without Starshipit, ANNA’S would need approximately two additional people working in dispatch. Combined with its 3PLs and fulfilment partners, Starshipit helps ANNA’S maintain a lean operation while supporting growing order volumes.

“We’re able to keep our team lean because of features like Starshipit, because of 3PLs, because of great partnerships that we have and resources which we outsource. So that’s how we’ve made our operation more streamlined and more efficient.”

Melissa Gourlay, Chief Operating Officer, ANNA’S Wild Yam Cream

With dispatch processes running more efficiently, team members can contribute to other areas, including operations, wholesale and customer experience. That additional capacity is especially valuable for a business where personal customer relationships remain a priority.

Rebecca Moss, Customer Experience and Operations Manager, says the time saved has helped the team shift its focus from managing incoming orders to planning for the future.

With a more efficient shipping operation in place, ANNA’S can focus on strengthening customer relationships and exploring new opportunities for international growth.

Ready for a surge: Could your shipping process keep up with a sudden rush?

When orders climb, your team shouldn’t have to make every carrier and paperwork decision from scratch. Whether you're managing growing order volumes or expanding internationally, Starshipit can help simplify repetitive shipping tasks and give your team more time to focus on your business.

Start your 30-day free trial and explore Starshipit at your own pace.

Prefer to talk through your current shipping setup? Book a demo with one of our shipping experts. We'll help you identify practical ways to simplify and improve your workflow.