How Shippit is helping Baby Bunting deliver

Who is Baby Bunting?

Baby Bunting is a prominent retailer specialising in baby products, serving customers across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). As of 2024, Baby Bunting operates a significant number of stores and has established itself as a leading player in the baby retail market, offering a wide range of products both in-store and online. The company is committed to supporting new and expecting parents by providing essential items and excellent customer service.

The challenge

In 2024, Baby Bunting faced numerous challenges common to many retailers. Economic pressures were mounting, leading to cost increases and evolving customer expectations. The primary challenges included:

1. Online fulfilment optimisation: Baby Bunting needed to leverage its physical stores for online fulfilment effectively.
   
2. Cost management: Rising carrier costs required strategies to improve net delivery recovery.
3. Customer experience: Reducing split deliveries and enhancing overall customer satisfaction was crucial.
4. Geographical coverage: A significant portion of online orders came from regional and remote areas, comprising 40-45% of the total, with increasing final mile costs.

"We found it easy to expand online fulfilment across our stores with the scalability and agility of the Shippit platform."

‍The solution

Baby Bunting partnered with Shippit, Australia’s leading commerce delivery platform, to address these challenges. Shippit’s platform provided several key benefits:

1. Store activation for online fulfilment: With Shippit’s support, Baby Bunting activated 100% of its stores for online fulfilment within three months, enhancing its ability to meet customer demands quickly.
2. Integration and scalability: Shippit’s 100+ carrier integrations and CX delivery notifications, including Apple Wallet Order Tracking and real-time updates, allowed Baby Bunting to expand its online fulfilment without the need for extensive development.
3. Data-driven decisions: Shippit Insights empowered Baby Bunting with valuable data and insights, facilitating faster decision-making across supply chain, digital, finance, and CX functions.
4. Cost efficiency: The platform enabled Baby Bunting to manage and flex volumes between various providers, realising cost savings and optimising fulfilment networks.

"We wanted to delight our customers and exceed their expectations, with a minimal increase in costs. We were seeing that our customers continued to shop with us, with a steady growth in our loyalty members."

The results

Baby Bunting’s partnership with Shippit yielded impressive results:

1. Enhanced customer experience: The ability to publish more inventory online and sell clearance lines efficiently improved customer satisfaction. The introduction of a priority delivery metro service, set for FY25, is poised to further enhance the customer experience.
2. Operational efficiency: The Shippit platform’s scalability allowed Baby Bunting to quickly roll out new delivery options and easily integrate existing carrier accounts, ensuring cost-effective and timely deliveries.
3. Improved fulfilment network: Shippit’s algorithms enabled the selection of the most cost-effective carriers, simplifying the process for team members and ensuring economical delivery options.
4. New Zealand expansion: In New Zealand, Baby Bunting successfully leveraged Shippit to fulfil orders from its four stores and a 3PL in Auckland, ensuring quick and cost-effective delivery across the country.

"Our fulfilment locations make use of Shippit and we adopt the practice of selecting the most cost-effective carrier for the order; the algorithms in the logic will display the choice of carriers and we select the most economical for the lane and weights of the order."

Looking ahead

As Baby Bunting continues to support new and expecting parents, the company plans to invest further in its online presence and enhance the customer experience from browsing to delivery. Future initiatives include publishing more products online, expanding core categories, and introducing faster delivery options. By maintaining its focus on customer satisfaction and operational efficiency, Baby Bunting aims to stay ahead in the competitive retail landscape.

Allison Kraemer, Baby Bunting’s International Logistics & Fulfilment Manager for ANZ, sums it up:

"Fulfilment from all of our stores has enabled us to do this, helping us move slow-moving and seasonal lines while making space for exciting new ranges."

Baby Bunting’s journey with Shippit exemplifies how leveraging advanced logistics and fulfilment solutions can overcome challenges and achieve significant business goals.

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