Customer Success Story – The Female Company
Seamless Fulfillment, Complete Transparency, and Intelligent Automation
Industry: FemCare
Location: Berlin, Germany
Year founded: 2018
Team size: > 30 employees
Overview
The Female Company is eradicating the stigma associated with menstruation, periods, and women’s health. The startup was founded by Sinja Stadelmaier and Ann-Sophie Claus. During a trip to India, they were struck by the taboos and restrictions women and girls face during their periods. The founders were also inspired by the story of Lauren Wass, who suffered from toxic shock syndrome (TSS) brought on by tampons that required both her legs to be amputated. Surprised by the lack of safety and labeling for menstrual products, they set out to fix that by creating a transparent, sustainable solution for those who menstruate and eradicating the taboo around the subject.
Starting with a line of organic tampons, The Female Company has now evolved into a thriving startup with a diverse range of products – from tampons and period underwear to menstrual cups, panty liners and postpartum pads. The goal: To provide aid for women and individuals who menstruate throughout their entire cycle, from menstruation to pregnancy to menopause. This is not only about the products, but also about raising public awareness. Through provocative (marketing) campaigns, The Female Company frequently stirs up controversy – and accomplishes tangible social advancements, such as the reduction of taxes on menstrual products. Organic feminine hygiene products have become an established market segment, no longer relegated to a niche. The Female Company is a business with real impact.
Challenges
The growing awareness and expansion of the product portfolio to include new target groups, such as the B2B sector (companies and schools), made it necessary for The Female Company to find a fulfillment partner. Due to the significant growth of the portfolio – the line of period panties alone has added products with many different variations (colors, sizes and absorbency levels) – the previous fulfillment partner was stretched to its limits. Exchanges and returns, which are common in the fashion industry, were stressing the systems and processes, and complexity was rising..
The new fulfillment partner had to be able to handle the increased volume of shipments and notably the rising number of product variations seamlessly, as well as make it easier to enter new markets and distribution channels.
“By switching to Alaiko, we have laid the foundation for our further, also international, growth.” – Marcel Schuler, Senior Operations & Supply Chain Manager, The Female Company
Apart from speedy delivery and sufficient storage capacity, transparency was also high on the checklist. The team required greater visibility and control in the warehouse, to track and optimize the movement of products, returns, and inventory. The goal was to prevent excess inventory and create a flawless ordering experience for shoppers.
The Female Company-Team
%
Ticket volume in customer service
Average shipping time
Solution
The selection of a new fulfillment provider needed to be fast and smooth. The process had to be lean, and the decision had to be made quickly. In addition to hard factors such as pricing and the location of the partner’s fulfillment centers, the cultural fit as a startup was important to the team. Prior to making the decision, operational transparency and fulfillment were carefully examined, including a warehouse visit. Not only were the systems and processes taken into account, but also what additional benefits Alaiko could offer to optimize our other business operations.
Smooth onboarding and move to the new warehouse
The onboarding process proceeded without any hitches and was completed quickly. All tasks and challenges were discussed in regular Jour Fixes, and all employees involved were kept informed at all times via a common planning tool. The relocation itself was equally smooth: Within just two days, the first orders were sent from the new warehouse to the buyers. The transfer of goods to the new warehouse and the ramp-up on site were completed ahead of schedule.
Since the onboarding, the fulfillment machine has been running like clockwork: The peak season and further growth were handled seamlessly.
Marcel Schuler, Senior Operations & Supply Chain Manager, The Female Company
High Level of Data Transparency for The Female Company
The Alaiko platform enables The Female Company to achieve a new level of transparency in fulfillment and logistics. The platform presents a comprehensive view of current stock levels, orders, incoming shipments, returns, and other relevant information. In addition, TFC has an overview of the detailed status of all orders at all times.
The new data provides the basis for further analysis of stock levels, fulfillment performance, returns, and so forth. Together with Alaiko, The Female Company is working to further develop the topic of transparency and the use of existing data in the form of dashboards.
Less Effort in Customer Service with Software & Automation
An additional benefit is the comprehensive Logistics Operating System®, including extensive add-on modules for customer service. One of these is the returns package, enabling buyers to effortlessly initiate a return or exchange on their own through the returns portal. This process can be completed in a few simple steps, without requiring assistance from the customer service team. In the event that the returns are in perfect condition, customers will receive an automatic refund. This streamlines the process and reduces the workload for The Female Company’s Customer Love Team.
Extensive automation simplifies more than just the returns process. Repetitive tasks such as correcting incorrect addresses and the associated communication effort are a thing of the past. The Alaiko platform takes care of these tasks automatically. Inquiries about the shipment status are also addressed via Alaiko’s proactive Track & Trace emails. The Customer Love Team can now take care of difficult clarification cases and more fulfilling tasks.
The benefits of automation, proactive communication and self-service are also reflected in the ticket volume, which has decreased by 30%, despite significant increase in the order volume. Inquiries about the status of shipments, for example, are almost non-existent.
Marcel Schuler, Senior Operations & Supply Chain Manager, The Female Company
Exchange at Eye Level and Active Support from Experts
Alaiko supports The Female Company’s day-to-day business operations not only with smooth fulfillment and comprehensive data transparency, but also with in-depth logistics expertise. A dedicated account manager is always available to offer advice, and The Female Company can rely on the expertise of the entire Alaiko team to optimize logistics and customer service from the first to the last mile.
Both startups collaborate harmoniously with each other and impact each other’s development. Special requests are rapidly addressed, and The Female Company can directly influence the development of the Alaiko platform with their feedback.
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