For the love of retro golf shirts. Finding efficiencies through 3rd party fulfillment.
About Criquet Apparel
The Criquet brand was founded in 2010 after two long-time friends reconnected in their early 20s and began a mission to find the perfect golf shirt. They wanted that retro fit and feel they remembered as kids when they’d wear their dad’s and uncle’s handme-downs. Realizing this was an apparel item not currently available in the market, they decided to start making it on their own. In 2013, the brand received some press and the business officially grew legs and took off.
"None of the current brands were targeting the 20 somethings with a quality retro collared shirt.”
– Michael Hamp, Minister of Finance and Ops at Criquet Shirts
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The Challenge
Rapid growth of a successful start-up is always a bit painful. Some like to call it a “good problem.” In the beginning, the founders of Criquet selected an eCommerce platform and fulfillment partner that fit their needs at that time. As the business grew, they learned more about DTC and retail fulfillment and identified areas where they could improve their processes and inventory management system. They also began experiencing the challenges of the inevitable order returns and needed to quickly find a viable solution to save time and profits.
“Helping us find a solution and implement the returns portal was truly a selfless act for DM Fulfillment. Accommodating our needs didn’t necessarily simplify anything for them, but they knew it was important to our business. Our customer service reps went from spending 50- 60% of their time managing returns down to only about 5%. DM Fulfillment is a true partner.”
– Michael Hamp, Minister of Finance and Ops at Criquet Shirts -
The Solution
In 2015, Criquet decided they had outgrown their fulfillment partner on the East Coast. They were introduced to DM Fulfillment (DMF) through their existing eCommerce provider and moved their inventory to DMF’s Dallas facility. The location suited their needs better and the fulfillment relationship was going well. DMF had the infrastructure to support the future vision of the brand, but there were new storefront platforms entering the market with more streamlined functionality. In an attempt to continue enhancing their operation, they changed course in 2017 and moved to Shopify for their online storefront. This move meant they would now have a direct partnership with DM Fulfillment rather than working through an eCommerce service provider and, since DMF was already integrated with Shopify, the move was seamless. There was very little disruption to the business during the transition and the end result was more efficiencies within their supply chain. The next growing pains to address were the unavoidable returns. With more sales, especially in apparel, naturally comes more returns. Many customers simply wanted a different size or style, but it required 3 to 4 emails back and forth with customer service reps who were spending 50-60% of their time managing the returns process. Criquet approached DMF about implementing a 3rd party returns portal to not only save their customer service reps time, but also improve their customer experience post-purchase.
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The Result
The direct fulfillment partnership with DMF has proven to be more efficient and beneficial to the business. Criquet is now in a place where they can settle into a rhythm, focus on customer retention programs, drive new business and feel confident knowing their fulfillment partner is equipped to scale with them and provide solutions along the way.
“Order volume is growing at a rate of 117% YOY. We’re excited to be a part of Criquet’s journey and provide solutions that allow them to focus on what they do best…growing their brand!”
– Lisa Meyer, Business Development Manager, DM Fulfillment.One of the next big business initiatives in the works for this growing apparel brand is implementing a 3rd party inventory management system that will allow them to segment better for retail and DTC fulfillment.
