Background
Ashtabula started as a B2B brand, building out a retail, B2C channel as demand grew. Using Shopify as the foundation for their store, the team added SparkLayer to manage their two branches with minimal complexity and effort.
The challenge
Ashtabula needed a scalable, easy-to-use platform to manage both their B2B and B2C channels. They were looking for a wholesale eCommerce platform that could scale with their ambitious growth plans. They had a non-transactional website in place, but wanted an online ordering solution for their expanding wholesale customer demographic.
The team pride themselves on delivering exceptional customer service, and personalisation is a key aspect of that. With an increasing customer base, they were exploring new ways to continue that experience without compromising on time and efficiency.
Transparency and ease were two key drivers of their replatforming project - for both their internal team and end customers. In terms of inventory management, it was important that customers had visibility over accurate stock levels and that their teams were able to manage them more efficiently.
Based on experiences with previous eCommerce platforms, their internal teams were understandably apprehensive about replatforming. As such, finding an option that empowered the team while providing simple onboarding, training, and ongoing support was paramount.
“Our previous set-up was so cumbersome and time-consuming, and it really hurt us as a business - just how much time, effort, and focus went into trying to set it up and work with it and understand it. We're not doing that anymore, we're going in the right direction with SparkLayer”, Bevan Read, Co-Founder of Ashtabula.
The solution
Ashtabula have implemented SparkLayer’s Sales Agents to support customers who prefer ordering via more traditional methods, such as over the phone or by email. Their team are still able to speak directly with customers, but the ordering process has been significantly sped up.
They also established order rules, such as minimum order levels. This approach has worked well in conjunction with the self-service aspect of SparkLayer, as customers can order on their own terms while still meeting the thresholds set to ensure business profitability.
The team now run regular training workshops to ensure everyone understands how to use SparkLayer to its full potential. Coupled with SparkLayer’s ongoing support and speedy response rate, Ashtabula are maximising the benefits of the platform for both their team and end customers.
The results
By implementing a customer-facing ordering platform, Ashtabula have been able to eliminate some of the requests about products, most notably around stock levels. This has allowed the team to focus on more complex challenges and tasks that add more value to their overall customer experience.
The transparency around inventory has also improved warehouse efficiency and demand management. Ashtabula can now better manage B2C and B2B demand, ensuring their available stock levels are relevant and accurate for each channel.
“From a stock management perspective, trying to juggle stock for wholesalers was becoming increasingly hard the more we grew. We wanted to take all those headaches away from the business and put something in which was more simplistic in how it dealt with it”, Bevan Read, Co-Founder of Ashtabula.
Ashtabula have also seen significant time savings since implementing SparkLayer, gaining back 40+ hours each week. “We're a small team, so to basically claw back a full-time person in time is quite significant for us”, Bevan Read, Co-Founder of Ashtabula.
By automating processes, the team now have more time to focus on value-add tasks for their customers, as well as outreach and revenue generation.
“Our motto this year is trying to keep things simple - fewer inefficiencies, less manual work, and reduced stress. The support desk has been really responsive, and that's really refreshing - a real credit to SparkLayer. We certainly feel like if we have a problem, we can ask a question and we can get an answer. We really appreciate the human touch that we've had with SparkLayer - unfortunately, you don't get that a lot these days” ~ Bevan Read, Co-Founder of Ashtabula.
Explore more
To learn more about Ashtabula and their brand, visit their website.
To see how SparkLayer works with Shopify, you can explore via the links below: