Direct-to-consumer fulfilment looks simple in a dashboard and complicated in a warehouse at 11pm in November. This is the story of how we rebuilt a fulfilment model that was functionally working and operationally fragile.
The problem
A growing DTC programme for a heritage outdoor brand had outgrown its original logistics assumptions. Inventory was spread across multiple third-party facilities. Order routing was manual in peak weeks. Split shipments — one order arriving in two or three parcels — were common and expensive, and each one invited a return or a support ticket.
- Split-shipment rate above target, driving freight and packaging cost.
- Inventory truth held in spreadsheets reconciled weekly.
- Canadian orders handled as exceptions rather than a designed flow.
- No single owner of the end-to-end fulfilment calendar.
What we changed
1. One inventory picture
We integrated every 3PL node into a single inventory and order view, with nightly reconciliation and exception alerts. When a SKU drops below a threshold at one node, routing rules shift automatically rather than waiting for a human to notice.
2. Routing rules that respect the consumer
Order routing now prioritises completing an order from a single node. Where that is impossible, it chooses the combination that minimises both cost and the number of parcels. Split shipments fell materially within the first full quarter and stayed down through peak.
3. Canada as a designed flow
Cross-border orders moved from ad-hoc handling to a documented flow with pre-cleared data, duty and tax logic, and a dedicated returns path. Treating Canada as a first-class market removed friction for the consumer and cost for the programme.
4. A single fulfilment owner
We appointed one accountable owner across 3PL partners, carriers and the brand. Weekly operating reviews covered service levels, exceptions and cost per order — not just whether orders shipped.
The outcome
- Faster average ship time and fewer split shipments.
- Lower cost per order through routing and packaging discipline.
- Returns processed faster, improving the consumer experience and cash cycle.
- Inventory visibility that supports merchandising, not just logistics.
Fulfilment is not a back-office function. It is the last mile of the brand experience — and, increasingly, the difference between a first order and a second one.
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