Honing Multichannel Ecommerce Fulfillment Operations to Manage Hypergrowth

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Blue Sky Distribution is a distributor of grocery and tobacco products serving New Mexico and the Western U.S. With NetSuite ERP at the hub of its multichannel business, Blue Sky integrated Descartes’ cloud-based WMS software for mobile barcode-based picking and packing, its ecommerce shipping solution, and delivery management with electronic proof of delivery. The distributor achieved 100% order accuracy, 80% increased fulfillment efficiency, cost-effective shipping with automated rate shopping, and more efficient last mile delivery operations.

Quote from Robert Poole Jr.

“The Descartes software ecosystem is the perfect harmony of technology. The value to our business has been stupendous, from remarkable efficiency and productivity gains in the warehouse and on the road to increased order accuracy and visibility and an enhanced customer experience.”

Company Profile

Blue Sky Distribution
Grocery and Tobacco Distributor

Descartes Solution

• Descartes OzLink™ Mobile Warehouse (OMW)
• Descartes ShipRush™
• Descartes Route Planner™

About the Client

Blue Sky Distribution, based in Albuquerque, NM, is a family-owned and operated grocery and tobacco distributor, providing a wide range of products—food and beverage, tobacco, accessories, convenience items, and more—to businesses and consumers across New Mexico and the Western U.S. since 2008.

Quick Overview

Challenge

Manual Processes Impede Ecommerce Operations
Blue Sky is a distributor in the FMCG industry, serving big-box corporate grocery stores (e.g., Walmart, Target, CVS), convenience stores, independent businesses such as tribal smoke shops and mom-and-pop gift shops, and other Western U.S. distributors through warehouses in Albuquerque, NM, and Las Vegas, NV using its own fleet of delivery trucks. Blue Sky’s outdated order fulfillment practices—including time-consuming manual, paper-based processes and a legacy ERP system—were unable to keep pace with explosive demand for 3,500+ products, especially during peak season. In addition, the distributor lacked visibility into the warehouse, hindering ecommerce operations including inventory control, returns management, and accurate forecasting.

Solution

Managing Demand with Optimized Ecommerce Fulfillment
In response to escalating customer demand, Blue Sky implemented the cloud-based Descartes OzLink ™ Mobile Warehouse (OMW), Descartes ShipRush ™, and Descartes Route Planner ™ on-demand solutions to automate and streamline ecommerce fulfillment from inception to delivery. Fully integrated with NetSuite, the Descartes solutions helped transform Blue Sky’s fulfillment operations.

Leveraging mobile handheld scanners with the WMS software, Blue Sky automated and accelerated multi-order picking and labeling processes to heighten efficiency and accuracy, improve inventory control, and provide actionable data to inform forecasting and commission-driven retention programs.

“Picking is night and day since implementing Descartes. The barcode-based solution leads you, like a trail of breadcrumbs, through the warehouse on the most efficient path. With UPC scanning, we’ve seen a huge drop in mispicks and fulfillment time,” said Robert Poole Jr., Blue Sky’s CEO and President. “Plus, NetSuite integration gives us real-time inventory; we’re able to display committed versus available stock on our website, which has a significant impact on the customer experience.”

In the past, Blue Sky had to handwrite order labels. With Descartes, the company is able to differentiate orders packed in identical branded totes using labels—complete with sales order details and box count—automatically printed on the warehouse floor. “It’s been amazing for our warehouse team,” said Poole.

Results:

100% Order Accuracy Optimized Delivery Performance

Seamlessly integrated with NetSuite, the Descartes solution reduced picking and labeling errors through barcode scanning and order validation, while access to real-time inventory data increased warehouse visibility.

80% Increased Fulfillment Efficiency Enhanced Customer Service

By replacing manual picking, labeling, and returns management processes with mobile handheld scanners, the scalable Descartes solution enabled Blue Sky to easily manage increasing volumes and peak season spikes.