Precisely and on time. Dropshipping - find out what benefits modern logistics brings to the interior design industry
Considering the online sales model, time and good communication between the seller and the buyer are of the utmost importance. A well-optimized delivery process is an argument that can make all the difference in e-commerce success. That is why at Schedpol we have decided to use intelligent distribution model, i.e. dropshipping. What is this solution and how does it benefit the business? We invite you to read the article, in which Piotr Fuhrmann - Schedpol expert - answers the questions facing every investor.
What is dropshipping?
Piotr Fuhrmann: Dropshipping is a type of retail service in which products are shipped to the end customer directly from the manufacturer's warehouse, rather than from a vendor or distributor. The model thus shortens the supply chain to the customer, affecting real savings in sales and delivery service costs - it eliminates the cost of taking goods through the distributor's warehouse and re-shipping to the customer.
Cost reduction is one thing. But does dropshipping introduce any additional advantages that traditional distribution models don't have?
PF: Efficient operation in this model, especially through maximum automation of processes and information exchange between the business partner and the manufacturer, significantly contributes to increased benefits for each participant in the sales process. The distributor or B2B customer is able to offer "manufacturer" availability, not just commercial availability. In practice, this means that the customer gains direct delivery, reduced by downtime associated with product handling. In this case, quick availability often includes atypical products, with dimensions that are out of the ordinary for normal distribution, but which we, as a manufacturer, find due to our specialization and the wide cross-section of the market we serve.
The reduced delivery time is a definite advantage for the end customer. What are the benefits of implementing dropshipping that a business partner can expect when working with Schedpol?
PF: As the only manufacturer in the sanitary industry in Poland (and probably in this part of the world), we offer our B2B partners dropshipping retail services also under their brand. This applies both to large DIY chains, and support for their brands or specially dedicated products, as well as wholesale chains, national and regional wholesalers, and showrooms or stores - including online. This is a completely new approach, a new era in the ability to increase sales, availability and accelerated customer service for companies and their brands in Poland and Europe. All this thanks to the deep production specialization that Schedpol is proud of. In this model, the commercial offer (regardless of the brand) can be much broader than the offer based only on standard, most popular dimensions and shapes of products. Here we can go deeper, taking advantage of the opportunities we offer as a manufacturer specializing in bathroom solutions, as we work with a range of more than 500 forms and models of our own production, which can also be offered as standard under our customers' private brands.
So we can say that Schedpol offers an individual approach to the customer in this respect
PF: Yes, we are able to serve both large chain customers and limited scale distributors just as effectively. We have no limits to fruitful cooperation with any business partner, big or small. We are flexible and ready to make a joint success in B2B cooperation using a great store of shower trays, EPS-Supports, bathtubs, Shower channels, which we certainly are for many customers from all over Europe, including manufacturers, importers and purchasing networks.
For years Schedpol has been consistently implementing its well thought-out environmental policy. How does dropshipping fit into the company's environmental efforts?
PF: All of our products are delivered as a unit package. The optimized unit weight of the products, which is about 60% less than that of conglomerate products, has a positive effect on the comfort of the logistics process, but above all on the reduction of CO2 emissions throughout the supply chain. Taking into account the savings in cargo volume (shipments in parcels rather than half-pallets or pallets) and overall weight of these loads, we can talk about a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of up to 50%. Anyone who has entered into a partnership with us based on technologically innovative solutions in, for example, composite shower trays, immediately appreciates at every stage of the logistics and sales process the values we bring together through real concern and care for the environment.