Asendia Hong Kong: Case study e-commerce business Urban Outfitters

About Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters is an American multinational clothing retailer which offers a variety of lifestyle merchandise to highly defined customer niches. Its range of bohemian, hipster, vintage, retro and ironically humorous styles are successful across a number of geographies. In addition to its significant bricks and mortar presence, in the EU Urban Outfitters also has a strong website presence which further extends the brand's reach as it offers international delivery across 122 countries.

Website: www.urbanoutfitters.com

The Challenge

Urban Outfitters said: In addition to finding a partner that could offer a professional and cost effective service we also wanted to find someone that is culturally aware. We recognise that local markets have local requirements and, therefore, the final mile is just as important as the rest of the journey.

They continued: We met Asendia (previously known as wnDirect) at an industry conference and were really impressed with them. Our carrier at the time was delivering parcels quickly but it was costing us a fortune. They had not taken the time to explain any options to us, nor work in partnership. They simply did the job, and charged us for it. Following the initial meeting there was a period of discussion and negotiation which impressed Urban Outfitters.

The Solution

Asendia launched with Urban Outfitters just before Christmas 2014.

"This really wasn't an ideal time to launch and was unplanned. The reality is that one of our other carriers let us down and Asendia helped us deliver this volume. They did an excellent job for us and ensured we didn't lose business at a crucial time. We ended up using this period as our trial and have since expanded into 12 lanes."

"The fact that our relationship with Asendia started with them helping us with an issue not only speaks volumes, but also reflects the kind of business they are. They are relaxed, yet informative. They don't put pressure on you to fit in with their way of working but, instead, are happy to work at your pace and within your constraints. This was so refreshing. They don't overpromise but often over-deliver."

Asendia believes that knowledge is king and, as such, works hard to develop a comprehensive understanding of the markets it enters and the various nuances. Before opening a new lane Asendia implants a team and sets about gathering as much knowledge as possible about the destination. They also work hard to stay on top on any issues which occur, preferring to be the ones to share such business critical information with their customers.

Other logistics companies think about how to deliver parcels faster or cheaper. Asendia thinks differently. Thats not to say that the bottom line isnt important to them, it is, in fact Asendia has brought us considerable cost savings which have resulted in a 30% reduction in undeliverables. But they also think about eCommerce as a whole and how they can add value to the retailers they work with. Asendia is changing the nature of logistics; They offer an entire Logistics solution, rather than just delivery.

Benefits

"Asendia are different to many other businesses we have worked with before. They took the time to explain all of the options to us and were able to educate our team. It wasn't just the information sharing that impressed us but also Asendia 's transparency and honesty."

From the outset we felt like a team. They were very open about where they could add value to us as a business and where they couldnt. This made sure we had a very clear understanding and expectations from the beginning.

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Urban Outfitters

With such a significant global strategy the right logistics partner is vital to Urban Outfitters' European business. In addition to delivering a high quality, professional service maintaining a local feel is important to Urban Outfitters and a key requisite when looking for a logistics partner.