Emerging fashion and lifestyle brands often face significant challenges in scaling their operations to keep up with increasing demand. As sales grow, the resulting rise in logistical complexity can be exponential. This makes efficient supply chain management critical to success.
Keeping up with demand isn’t just about volume, either. Building strong customer relationships is key to creating a positive brand perception, so it’s also key to prioritise the customer experience – even when orders are coming in at a much higher rate.
To find out more about how brands can achieve this balance, we chatted to Maxim Sion, Global Sales Business Development Manager at Bleckmann. As co-founder of Belgium-based fashion brand Studio Anvers, he knows the ins and outs of the fashion scale-up journey. Read on for his insights into the importance of scalability in fashion logistics.
Visit our Bscale solution page for to learn about scaling your brand with Bleckmann.
What is scalability in fashion and lifestyle logistics?
In fashion and lifestyle logistics, scalability simply means how much your operational capabilities can be scaled up or down to meet the changing demands of the season or your brand’s growth trajectory. “More than any other industry, fashion and lifestyle is highly sensitive to short-term fluctuations, depending on the time of year and the latest trends, so scalability is a must”, Maxim explains. “What’s more, you need to be able to support steady sales growth by ensuring timely delivery to all customers without compromising on service quality.”
For example, a scalable logistics framework will provide you with flexible warehouse space, allowing you to meet growing inventory needs and expand the range of SKUs you offer – as well as efficiently adapting to seasonal peaks in demand. “You should also keep in mind that scalability isn’t just about volume”, Maxim adds. “It’s also about attention to detail. With the right range of value-added services on hand, you’ll be able to consistently delight customers with excellent product presentation and personalised touches.”
What does logistics scalability require?
Many new and emerging fashion brands start out with simple, in-house logistics operations, using basic racking and performing picking and packing operations themselves. However, order fulfilment can become exponentially more complex as sales grow. “Fulfilling higher volumes efficiently doesn’t just require more space and manpower”, Maxim explains, “It also requires expensive equipment and warehouse management systems (WMS)”. These can be far too expensive for many smaller brands, especially considering they may only be used to capacity during peak sales periods.
As a result, many fast-growing brands choose to outsource their logistics operations to a dedicated fashion logistics provider. This allows them to scale up their logistics capabilities as and when they need to without the high initial investment or cost of unused warehousing and manpower eating into their profits. As a result, outsourcing can help growing brands overcome the limitations of in-house logistics.
The problems you can avoid with flexible logistics capacity
When you have the flexibility to match your logistical capabilities to your needs throughout the year, you can avoid many of the pitfalls of in-house logistics. Chief among these are supply bottlenecks and delays, where an overwhelming number of orders can lead to late shipments, order backlogs and, ultimately, frustrated customers. “There’s little room for error in fashion logistics”, says Maxim, “Any issues can easily start to snowball: you might need to rush to fulfil certain orders, which increases the chance of human error, which leads to more returns, which leads to an even bigger backlog”.
However, help is at hand. “Third-party logistics (3PL) providers that specialise in apparel logistics know that fashion is an industry that needs to thrive despite the unexpected”, Maxim explains. “After all, a new trend can cause a surge in the popularity of your products at any time”. The flexibility offered by such 3PLs can, therefore, be critical to long-term success. And because many providers have access to extensive transportation networks, they can also streamline your expansion into new markets or regions.
In the fashion industry, scalability can drive your success
With the right fashion logistics partner, your brand can quickly and efficiently adapt the scale of its logistics operations, helping you to meet the needs of a growing customer base. “Bleckmann is committed to tailoring our fashion logistics services to each client’s needs and objectives”, concludes Maxim, “And with our new Bscale offering, we’re making this kind of scalability available to brands of all sizes – not just the big players”.
Want to find out how Bscale can help your brand accelerate its growth journey? Check out the Bscale page for more information or get in contact today for a free consultation with a Bleckmann expert!
