Festive Lights: Removing manual input increases order output

Festive Lights, is an international lighting company which was established in time for the millennium. They are now recognised as a Mecca for Christmas lighting enthusiasts who are able to find products here that are not available anywhere else in the UK. Launching their online store in 2004, Festive Lights update their site virtually every week with new products not only suitable for Christmas but all year round. Their team of experts are on hand to provide impartial advice for all your lighting needs.

The Challenge

Festive Lights were looking for ways to automate their business operation. To do this they employed the services of ecommerce web designers, Lost Ferret and warehouse management system, Exact Abacus. Using these systems in conjunction streamlined their order process, but highlighted a need to focus on the despatch area. With a manual despatch operation in place, Festive Lights were finding it difficult to process their orders in a timely and efficient manner. Orders were manually printed off in batches, with address details typed into each carrier management system, opening up the possibility for human error. Each address label is printed individually, again leading to potential mix-ups and mistakes. This method had a huge impact on time and resources, so much so it affected the number of parcels that could be despatched on a nightly basis. The final stage would see staff splitting the parcels by courier, based on assumption. This process was both confusing and time consuming and would incur additional costs if the parcels were sent with the wrong carrier. With business growing at an impressive rate, Festive Lights realised they would need to source a scaleable delivery management solution.

The Solution

MetaPack are affiliated partners of both Lost Ferret and Exact Abacus, and have a proven track record with a number of customers already operating successful integrations. Festive Lights also found that with all three of these systems working in alliance, the despatch process became completely automated. Lost Ferret collate all the delivery information and seamlessly pass it through to Exact Abacus, and with a few clicks the information is then imported into MetaPack eliminating manual intervention, removing the potential for human error, saving the team four hours per day and removing any additional costs for incorrect deliveries. In addition, Festive Lights are using MetaPack’s Rapid Print functionality, which allows them to scan the barcode included in the pick note, automatically printing the relevant label, removing any mix-ups. The management team made the conscious decision to implement MetaPack in time to cope with the forthcoming Christmas peak and as a result have seen their order output increase by 98% compared to the same time the previous year. Making use of MetaPack’s multi-carrier network, Festive Lights are integrated into more than one carrier and each delivery is correctly allocated by size and weight. Since introducing MetaPack, Festive Lights have seen their carrier rates reduce by 24% and through correct parcel allocation their costs have reduced by 32%. By using the reporting suite, Festive Lights are able to monitor volumes and trends and gauge when they will need to book larger collection vehicles.

"MetaPack was the final piece in our solution. The time savings have allowed us to comfortably double our operation. It has enabled us to save money, utilise our time more efficiently and help us plan our collections during peak more effectively. MetaPack works well with both Lost Ferret and Exact Abacus and is a definite advantage to customers using these systems"

Philip Jones, IT/Marketing Manager