The Situation
Marketplace management became Tundra Restaurant Supply’s greatest (and costliest) challenge.
With over 600 brands and 65,000 products, Tundra Restaurant Supply’s massive brand collection required a time-consuming, resource-demanding manual lift to customise product listings and business rules to achieve optimal product visibility and new customer acquisition. Moreover, the supplier needed help aggregating orders across marketplaces so it could fulfill those orders — and fast. Tundra Restaurant Supply knew that maintaining its customers’ high standard of fulfilment satisfaction was a make-or-break priority for its business.
“This industry heavily relies on free shipping, which dives into our margins,” explained Sandoval. “Everyone is playing the free-shipping game to be competitive.”
The company stores thousands of products in its warehouse while simultaneously utilising drop shippers to meet its consumers’ growing expectations of free and speedy delivery.
But Tundra Restaurant Supply knew drop shipping alone would not protect margins — its most important metric of success.
The Solution
The team considered how cost- and time-saving efficiencies could help offset the expense of competitive shipping. Compared to other solution providers, Rithum’s automation helps streamline Tundra Restaurant Supply’s workflow. Rithum helps simplify the processing and tracking of orders and helps to reduce errors by minimising the manual lift.
That isn’t all. Tundra Restaurant Supply needed a game-changing selling strategy. With its operations optimised, diversification was the obvious next step for continued growth.
“You offer hundreds of channels to put our products on, so the diversity and selection are huge,” explains Sandoval, adding that Rithum’s integrations offer Tundra Restaurant Supply the ability to easily launch on new marketplaces, and the flexibility to test out those new selling channels before committing its complete product portfolio. “Not every channel works for every business; it’s a great way to get your feet wet with different channels without a huge investment.”
Moreover, Rithum’s marketplace-specific reporting has enabled Tundra Restaurant Supply to strengthen its selling strategy and helps to guide tactical business decisions.
As Sandoval explains, “It’s provided me with a strategy to remove products that are not profitable, including items that were actually upside down. I’ve been able to utilise that report and make some decisions based on those numbers.”
The Results
When asked what the e-commerce journey would be like without Rithum, Tundra Restaurant Supply describes a restaurant scene in which orders are pouring into a kitchen with few experienced cooks.
“We would need to scramble to try to figure out how to fulfill orders and manage them easily in one specifc spot,” says Sandoval. “The staff member who uses Rithum the most manages all of our customer-facing issues and returns. I think if this tool weren’t readily available to them, we’d need more resources.”
“This software is an invaluable tool; it’s been a godsend, “ she adds. “Rithum makes up about 15% of Tundra Restaurant Supply’s sales with channels we’re running — and that’s pretty significant!”
