How Lightbulbs.com enhanced shipping reliability and streamlined e-commerce operations

Introduction

Since its founding in 1951, Service Lighting and its online brand LightBulbs.com, have illuminated the path of e-commerce success, evolving into a colossal online lighting retailer. Renowned for unwavering customer service, the company boasts a catalog exceeding 100,000 lighting products. The company has been steadily growing its online presence through Amazon and Walmart marketplaces and has experienced significant growth in the Business-to-Business (B2B) sector, shipping an average of 15,000-30,000 packages per month. This case study follows LightBulbs.com's journey addressing shipping challenges by partnering with ShipWise to foster remarkable growth and service excellence in the competitive e-commerce landscape.

Challenges

Paul McLellan, the President of LightBulbs.com, recalls that their progress was hindered by over 20 software outages in a single year with their previous solution. This led to frequent downtimes and operational disruptions that caused inefficiencies in shipping, further curtailed their growth potential. Operating across both B2B and B2C (Business-to-Consumer) sectors, the need for a reliable and efficient system was critical to managing their diverse processes and maintaining market momentum.

"We highly value up-time for our shipping software as we have deadlines and partners that demand real-time shipping. When you're in distribution, the worst thing that can happen is when you cannot ship a package," Paul explained. 

Finding a Solution

In their search for a dependable shipping solution, LightBulbs.com selected ShipWise. "They did everything on our wish list," Paul remarked, lauding ShipWise's commitment to delivering a flexible and robust shipping solution. A hybrid/on-premise solution demonstrated ShipWise's approach to a controlled local shipping database in DSX and the convenience of the WebApp for access to business rules that live in the cloud, making it easy to add and edit workstations.

Paul noted, "ShipWise seemed cutting edge, had the hybrid model of on-prem/cloud down to a science (our preferred model), and seemed big enough to handle our volume and growth."

[Image breakdown of our Hybrid Model] 

Transitioning to ShipWise

The transition to ShipWise involved close collaboration, which facilitated a smooth and efficient overhaul of crucial business processes. Some of the features that were developed to streamline the shipping processes include:

• Creating a  "Last Shipment Shown" functionality within the DSX on-premise solution and a custom Doc Tab on shipping labels that included graphics for company branding.
  
  
• A feature to restrict the ship button for sales users was also developed, along with the ability to record FedEx and UPS surcharges and write them back, which aided in the comprehensive tracking of all additional costs.
  
  
• Lastly, new hotkeys were created to expedite processes and enhance efficiency, thereby reducing the number of required clicks, and a help page was added to assist users in navigating the system.

"The migration to ShipWise was efficient, and the implementation process was smooth. Deployment went very fast; from our initial meeting to launch, it was about 3.5 months. Given our volume and complex setup, this was very impressive," Paul observed.

The Impact

The adoption of ShipWise has marked a transformative change in LightBulbs.com's shipping operations, primarily through unparalleled up-time and customized features that are directly aligned with its specific needs. Paul highlights the critical importance of up-time in their distribution process, emphasizing that "Having a solid desktop platform with reliable cloud endpoints allows us to [begin] every day with confidence that we'll hit our shipping goals." This reliability ensures that LightBulbs.com meets deadlines and maintains the trust of its partners by avoiding any disruptions in their ability to ship packages.

Moreover, Paul appreciates ShipWise's responsiveness to customization requests, stating, "Out of the box, DSX was a solid solution for us. I could see from our initial demo that it was going to meet our needs, but the icing on the cake was the fact that ShipWise customized the last few features we asked for." This collaborative effort resulted in a shipping solution that not only meets but exceeds LightBulbs.com's operational requirements, setting a new standard for software adaptability in the shipping industry.

"[ShipWise] worked hand in hand with us to make a program that quite literally does EVERYTHING we need it to. In a world of close-box software solutions, this was so refreshing." Paul remarked. 

Conclusion

With an eye on the horizon, LightBulbs.com envisions a lasting alliance with ShipWise. "We see ShipWise as a long-term partner capable of supporting our growth and evolving needs," Paul said, expressing confidence in the future. Paul encapsulates the essence of their partnership with ShipWise, saying, "As a business owner, I hate stress. I'd rather make less money if it meant reducing stress. ShipWise does just that, [reduces stress]." LightBulbs.com, previously beleaguered by frequent outages, now enjoys a 99.9% uptime, exemplifying ShipWise's reliability. "ShipWise has allowed us to move forward in confidence that our shipping integration works, and it allows us to focus on our core tasks better. We have comfort and assurances that we did not have before," he concluded.

Are you facing similar challenges with your shipping processes? Contact ShipWise today for a consultation or a custom free demo and see how we can help improve your shipping operations, reduce costs, and support your growth. Keep shipping challenges from holding your business back. Let ShipWise provide the stable, reliable, and customizable solution you need.