Tackle Discounts: Moving in the right direction with MetaPack
Trading since 2004, Tackle Discounts have become one of the largest online fishing retailers in the UK. Created through a passion and knowledge of the sport, they are now shipping specialist fishing products to over 60 countries through their website and marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. Within four months of opening Tackle Discounts moved to larger premises, and as a result of the continued rapid growth of their business they’ve moved and expanded a further three times. Since 2004, Tackle Discounts have doubled their turnover annually, and see no reason why they can’t do it again in 2010.
The Challenge
Tackle Discounts were using ChannelAdvisor MAP software, which automated and managed all their online sales from point of order to despatch. Their despatch process, however, was completely manual. The pick list would be produced through ChannelAdvisor, and a member of staff would spend an entire day manually entering the delivery data into the carrier management system. Smaller goods were sent through Royal Mail, which meant all the information would have to be handwritten in the Royal Mail despatch book, as well all the address labels. International deliveries proved to be a headache for the warehouse personnel too, as they had to ensure that all the separate customs documentation were completed correctly and included with the goods. The obvious disadvantages of this process being the impact on time and resources, “working with this process was time consuming, monotonous and frustrating” explained Mr Train. The process was also open to the possibility of human error, thus leading to Tackle Discounts potentially incurring additional costs.
The Solution
With an introduction through ChannelAdvisor an eCommerce platform provider, Tackle Discounts was impressed with MetaPack’s renowned customer base and the benefits that the software could offer their operation. MetaPack and ChannelAdvisor are fully integrated and Tackle Discounts can now see their orders automatically transferring to MetaPack where they are allocated to the best possible service. This has almost eliminated all manual intervention and the possibility of human error. International deliveries are also no longer an issue as all the relevant documentation is automatically populated and printed at the same time as the label, ensuring that nothing is forgotten. Since MetaPack has been in place, Tackle Discounts have seen a 30-40% increase in turnover, and have been able to allocate 40% of their resources to other areas of the operation. This has allowed them to spend more time managing stock and streamlining their warehouse to maximize the available space, which in turn enables them to offer a better service to their customers. Tackle Discounts have also taken advantage of MetaPack’s email notification functionality, where emails are sent out at chosen points of the despatch process containing tracking numbers and links to the relevant carriers site. This proactive response has seen the level of inbound customer care calls reduce, again enhancing their high standard of customer service. A great advantage of the MetaPack software is the easy integration of carriers. This had previously been a painful process, and it now allows Tackle Discounts to have a greater level of flexibility when selecting their carriers and services. In turn this has reduced Tackle Discounts costs by 15%. With MetaPack’s new streamlined process in place, and their eBay practically running itself, it has allowed Tackle Discounts more time to concentrate on selling through their own website and Amazon.com. Tackle Discounts are looking forward to the future with MetaPack, and achieving delivery excellence.
"Choosing MetaPack has been one of the best decisions we’ve made. Not only has it revolutionized our delivery process, it’s had a positive effect throughout the whole warehouse. Working with the MetaPack solution has moved our company forward immensely, saving us both time and money. It really is a no-brainer!”
Andrew Train,
Managing Director
