YardStash Solutions: Space-saving
Outdoor Storage
Overview
In this ecommerce case study, we’re going to reveal how we helped an entrepreneur scale his outdoor storage business by offering an end-to-end supply chain solution.
Van Barker, owner of San Diego-based YardStash Solutions, came to us with a need to outsource his space-saving outdoor storage product. With a customized strategy in place, we worked together to grow his business, which resulted in an expansion of products from one SKU to 10 within multiple categories.
YardStash was acquired by Thras.io. following six consecutive years of double-digit growth across gross and net sales, representing a financially successful exit.
“It got to the point where the amount of time I was spending to box, tape, label, store and ship the products had become a time-consuming process. I needed help but I knew I didn’t want to hire a team.”
Back Story
When we first met Van Barker in October of 2011, the San Diego-based entrepreneur had discovered a profitable solution for outdoor storage based on a problem he had in his own household with an overflow of clutter caused by the toy accumulation of his young children. At the time Van was running his business out of his garage where he was having orders shipped in from China.
Each morning he’d load up his vehicle and drop off the shipments at the nearest Postal Annex or FedEx. When you’re spending nearly one-third of your time shipping boxes, it’s time to ditch the garage life.
Six months in he realized this way of doing business was no longer sustainable.
Van was quickly running out of space and saw the need to scale his business as the demand for outdoor storage items began to outweigh his ability to keep up with supply. He was looking for a better work/life balance.
Not a stranger to ecommerce, Van saw the opportunity to outsource his needs to an online fulfillment expert to streamline and optimize his business.
“I knew I wanted to work with someone local. That way if there were any issues I could rework the product right there.”
It was at that point he reached out to us, which worked out great since we had just opened our San Diego warehouse in Poway as an alternative location for clients looking for more convenient shipping options for their customers.
“Fulex was an extension of my business early on. They rooted for my success and were incredibly accessible, flexible and patient.”
Challenges
Being a startup, Van didn’t have a lot of capital, so finding an ecommerce fulfillment warehouse with competitive pricing such as low monthly minimums, was key.
At Fulex, we don’t want there to be any barriers between your product getting into the hands of your customers, so we use the latest technology and automation to optimize business efficiency while offsetting the cost, ensuring our clients receive the best value. Outsourcing to a fulfillment warehouse can provide large discounts on shipping, resulting overall in substantial savings.
In addition, Since Van opted out of hiring a team he would have to manage, he was dependent on Fulex for flexible
accessibility and consistent communication when it came to keeping tabs on his merchandise. including being able to intervene during any complications along the way. Fulex walked him through the whole process showing how it all worked. In this way, a high level of customer service was maintained.
“These changes helped me significantly improve order time and accuracy, which gave me more confidence that my product was being shipped on time and to the right address. I was able to get everything out within 24 hours, which freed me up to focus on my strengths in marketing, sales and product development.”
Solutions
As fulfillment experts in the ecommerce space, we worked with Van to outline a strategic plan for ecommerce order fulfillment that proved critical to the long-term success of YardStash by addressing issues related to automation, cart integrations, shipping logistics and vendor compliance.
An immediate observation we made was the need to connect Van with a freight forwarder that provided end-to-end supply chain management, including unloading and storing his product. Doing this significantly cut down on the manual order process through automation that enabled him to have containers come from multiple factories and ship pallets instead of one product at a time.
“Fulex was a critical partner at every stage of my company’s growth from the beginning to the end. They’re unique in that they step up to potential problems as opportunities. Not only did they help me keep YardStash alive but they helped me build it so it could thrive.”
Fulex has the capability to integrate technically with various platforms starting with Amazon and expanding into various industry markets such as Wayfair, Walmart, The Home Depot and help clients develop dependable relationships with customers and vendors.
Take the next step with your ecommerce business today
At Fulex, we have an authentic appreciation for entrepreneurship and startups because that’s where we started. With nearly 20 years in the ecommerce fulfillment industry, Fulex is well-equipped and connected. We work with clients through tight deadlines, product defects and defining moments, because our success is based on yours.
