Last week, Flinders clinched the title of
Logistics Webshop of the Year. How does the omnichannel furniture specialist set itself apart from the competition in terms of logistics? “
Logistics is our most important marketing tool."
With a range of 25,000 products – varying greatly in size – all dispatched from a single warehouse,
it quickly becomes clear that Flinders delivers a top-class logistical performance
. The furniture specialist aims to be the market leader by 2022. The
logistics process is set to play a major part in this, as
Oscar Diele on stage at eCommerce Live!.
Flinders was founded on the ambition to
make designer furniture accessible to everyone. “The average consumer buys
furniture once every ten years. That calls for a high level of engagement from
consumers,” says Diele. “Yet they lack knowledge, an overview and information.
Flinders was founded with that in mind.” The retailer started out selling furniture but expanded into new categories every year. It now also sells garden furniture and paint.
High turnover rate
60 per cent of Flinders’ business comes
via the online channel. However, the company does not sell exclusively through its
its own online shop. The reason? The stock turnover rate in the warehouse. “We have a
large central stock, and to maximise that turnover rate,
we sell through every channel within our reach. We have a
brick-and-mortar shop and two cafés, where Flinders furniture is on display and can be
purchased on the spot. In addition, we sell via bol.com and collaborate with
De Bijenkorf. All these channels help to boost the turnover rate.”
Also read: Six pitfalls when running an e-commerce warehouse
Delivery from stock
Since 2017, Flinders has been operating from a
warehouse on Westhavenweg in Amsterdam, covering an area of 10,000 square metres. The
warehouse serves customers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. It is striking that
Flinders, unlike many competitors, can supply a large proportion of its furniture
stock. “Waiting eight weeks for a sofa is a thing of the past. Based on
search behaviour on our website, we can predict demand. Smart
software then manages the stock. As a result, we are currently able to deliver 85
per cent of our orders from stock. This often involves
next-day delivery. We use several stock models. As well as our own stock, we utilise cross-docking and
drop shipping. We do, of course, make this clear to the customer.”
Flinders uses a standard WMS, on top of which
it has built a layer on top of. Thanks to this layer, the furniture shop can easily
make adjustments. “This allows us to innovate every two weeks. That
enables us to continuously improve our processes.”
Real-time delivery options and hassle-free service
Flinders also aims to
outperform the competition. Even during the checkout process, the customer can see
see inreal time when products
. Everything the customer adds to their basket is assessed by the software
for delivery. “We put the customer in control and offer them the
opportunity to choose the ideal delivery time in real time.” In addition to various
delivery options, Flinders offers an optional hassle-free service. Diele: “If you
lamp, we’ll hang it up for you.”
Returns are processed centrally and, where possible, we aim to
restocked. Items that cannot be restocked are listed as ‘second-chance’ items on a
separate page. The product is assessed for damage and then
resold at a discount.
Market leader
Flinders has no plans to rest on its laurels in the coming years either. It expects to
to grow by 35 per cent. Two years later, it hopes to be the market leader. “We
we’ll achieve by investing in logistics. That’s the driving force behind our
growth and our most important marketing tool.”
