Global Freight Solutions empowers hampers.com’s delivery infrastructure during peak shopping season
Following a two-year partnership with Global Freight Solutions (GFS), hampers.com – one of the UK’s longest established and biggest hamper companies – has reported a parcel volume increase of 20 percent year-on-year. As a result, the two businesses have signed a deal to extend their relationship by a further two years in a contract win worth over £1 million.
The hike in parcel volume figures came about as a direct result of GFS’ multi-carrier parcel services, enabling hampers.com to increase the delivery options available to customers worldwide, and the integration of GFS Selector, which has greatly streamlined order fulfilment. The timing of the contract will also strategically gear the online retailer up for forthcoming seasonal peak periods.
In December 2017, hampers.com recorded strong sales revenue figures for the peak holiday period, which saw GFS successfully ship over 50,000 parcels for the online retailer. This was one of the key motivations for extending their partnership. However, experts have estimated that the timing of peak consumer shopping periods is shifting. A recent Deloitte report stated that European shoppers are starting their Christmas shopping earlier and earlier, peaking in November last year. Meaning the pressure is mounting for online retailers to future-proof delivery functions against potential disruptive threats like poor weather conditions, as well as having the flexibility to manage and switch between carriers at the flick of a button, which GFS Selector allows for.
Freed up to deliver more
Ian Longworth, CEO, hampers.com: “My only regret after experiencing our first peak with GFS was that we had not done this 10 years earlier. Before GFS, we tried to manage logistics in-house –spending time on keeping track of parcel deliveries and collections across multiple carriers – which ended up being a real struggle. Now we work exclusively with GFS. This means one relationship, one collection service, one point of resolution if there’s a query, and one invoice to keep track of. As partners, we trust that GFS can take care of the delivery side of things, which frees us up to put all our efforts into sales and marketing for a bumper holiday season.”
In addition to GFS Selector, hampers.com is using GFS Manager to proactively track and manage parcel deliveries to ensure they get to where they need to. With the added support of GFS Logistics, they’re able to provide additional collection services during peak times to ensure timely despatch and subsequent delivery.
Stephen Deverson, sales director, GFS: “We’re very proud that hampers.com has entrusted GFS for outsourcing their delivery. This is just one of many examples of the trusted relationship we have built with our customers. Our expertise assures customers like hampers.com that when it comes to carrier management and delivery capabilities, particularly at critical peak time, GFS is there to support their business.”
This article was originally posted on retailtimes.co.uk on 4th October 2018 – find the article here.
