Online bulk-store scales from pandemic demand with fulfilment automation | Bulkpantry

As the global pandemic rolls into its third year, it has become more and more obvious that our habits are changing as our lifestyles adjust.

With self-isolation, social distancing and lack of access to physical retail outlets, customers have had to adapt to online shopping to the extent where it is not just a preferred method, but in some cases the only method.

The Challenge: Delivering great customer experiences at scale

One company who was quick to realise this was Bulkpantry. A family-owned business based in Bondi, Bulkpantry provides Australian homes and businesses a purely online grocery delivery solution.

“Our mission is to reward customers who order food, pantry & alcohol items in Bulk, with better pricing. We also bring wholesale and foodservice items, which traditionally were only supplied to restaurants, to any consumer, anywhere in Australia! We see ourselves as Costco - just we are fully online!”

— Alex Robinsion, Bulkpantry

Especially early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Bulkpantry’s position in the market was solidified as panic buying, labour shortages and the fear of contracting the virus deterred customers from physical grocery shopping.

To ensure they could capitalise on this position, Bulkpantry would need to create avenues to provide as many customers as possible the best experience. Centred around this strategy would be the ability to consistently deliver efficiently and affordably, whilst simultaneously increasing product base.

The solution: Market at scale and integrate multi-courier fulfilment automation

To expand and diversify their audience, Bulkpantry created their own Catch marketplace store in 2020. With over 3 million active customers, over 8 million site visits a week and more than 30,000 new customers a week, Catch is widely regarded as Australia’s favourite online marketplace where customers start their shopping journey.

“Catch has a massive clientele and we wanted to tap into customers who regularly use Catch.”

— Alex Robinsion, Bulkpantry

Offering dedicated category expertise and support throughout a seller’s journey, Catch prides itself on its hands-on approach to helping businesses curate their range and compliments the growing Catch audience.

As they gained momentum on the marketplace, Bulkpantry was able to gain valuable customer insights from Catch which helped shape their own expanding range.

Bulkpantry were able to use this to their advantage during promotional periods such as Black Friday, where their wine range was curated and included in promotional events, yielding positive results.

The next challenge was making sure their delivery and customer service were second to none, which is why in 2021 Bulkpantry enlisted the help of Starshipit.

“We wanted a portal that could show us which courier had the sharpest price out of all the couriers we use”

— Alex Robinson, Bulkpantry

With the ability to compare accurate shipping rates from different couriers, Starshipit helped Alex and his team choose the most reliable and cost-effective courier every time, which saved Bulkpantry both money and time. Supporting multiple couriers is a convenient feature provided by Starshipit, as it makes it easy to compare courier rates.

Retailers often set up rules in Starshipit to automate the courier selection process, for example, when a new order comes into the dashboard a courier will be automatically assigned based on factors like location, order value, type of product, or simply the cheapest option.

“Starshipit has helped us choose the most reliable and cost effective courier every time. Integration with Starshipit means the customer’s address and contact details are pre-filled so it’s incredibly easy to create a shipping label for your customers!”

— Alex Robinsion, Bulkpantry

The outcome: Increased customer experience and brand awareness

Not only were the savings there to be seen, but the positive impact of Starshipit on Bulkpantry’s Catch seller rating was also quite obvious. Currently, Bulkpantry operates at an above 80% Seller Score, placing them amongst the highest rated stores on the marketplace. For them this will mean increased consumer confidence, higher relevance in customer search and greater likelihood of being included in more promotional events.

By using multi-courier automation, Bulkpantry was able to negotiate better rates with pre-specified couriers. This allowed them to immediately assign the right courier for the job, getting the order quick-smart out the door. As customer expectations for faster parcel delivery increase, automation helps improve customer loyalty and grows the possibility of the all important second-purchase.

So what’s next for Bulkpantry in 2022 and beyond?

“We aim to increase our general product range and also the items we have listed on Catch. Times are uncertain and we want to continue to reliably provide our customers with their favourite products!”

— Alex Robinson, Bulkpantry

Explore the benefits of multi-courier fulfilment automation and deliver excellent customer experiences, contact a member of our Starshipit Success Team or start your free trial right now.

You can also ask the Customer Success Team about exclusive entitlements when joining the Catch.com.au marketplace as a Starshipit consumer.