The ChallengeFinding the Right Warehouse Management System (WMS)

How US based e-commerce startup FortheChef.com seamlessly implemented a new WMS

AboutFortheChef.com

FortheChef.com is a pureplay new

e-commerce retail company selling

kitchen and tabletop products for the

home and professional chef, baker

and entertainer.

The inspiration for FortheChef.com

came after spending hundreds of

dollars on big brand kitchenware and

still being left dissatisfied with the

product and price.

At the moment they carry around

2,500 unique SKUs, which include

case packs, single items, pre-formed

and customized kits.

Gary Li is the CEO of FortheChef.com and his role is to oversee the short and long term corporate

strategy, product development and procurement as well as the company’s operations. The

company is located in Saddle Brook, NJ where they have a 67,000 sq. ft warehouse.

FortheChef.com started out their business using the Peoplevox Warehouse Management System

(WMS). Gary explains that when they were first setting up the business they identified some key players

in the market but not only were they concerned about the costs (which were exorbitant from some of

the bigger players) but they were also concerned about the fit of the solution towards their operation.

Gary explains that as e-commerce is different from traditional wholesale distribution due to the

volume of unique orders, the picking methods required, and the selection of products, FortheChef.

com needed a solution that was forward thinking and nimble enough to be on the cutting edge of

e-commerce operations.

Another vital reason why FortheChef.com decided to go with Peoplevox was that as a startup they

wanted to quickly get off the ground with a large amount of SKUs, so they needed a solution that was

scalable and able to accommodate an e-commerce operation that had over 2,000 SKUs from Day 1.

“We purchased in packs, often of 12 (although there are numerous other configurations) and sold by

single units, and as a result conversion needed to be done to create unique SKUs from the 12-pack

configurations into single items. This is a challenge for both the inbound and outbound shipping.

Finally, we wanted to implement a random location system, in which items could be placed at any

rack locations. So In short, we had quite a lot of challenges to overcome from day 1!’ says Gary.

Customer Support

The Results

The SolutionThe solution proved to be Peoplevox. Gary explains that Peoplevox has really proven to be the perfect solution to support and ameliorate all of

their challenges. “From Day 1 the solution has been the perfect fit for our organization. It is truly an optimized, full-fledged e-commerce solution

that is flexible enough to accommodate different scenarios and cases”.

Another fact that really resonated with Gary’s decision to use Peoplevox was that it is compatible with Windows and Android operating systems,

allowing them great flexibility in choosing scanners, and since it is Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) browser based they were able to truly save costs

when it came to the infrastructure needed to run their operation.

“One of the things that really impressed me was the fact that Peoplevox were able to support random locations out of the box, a feature that

some of the bigger players were unable to provide - or in order to do so, we had to shell out tens of thousands in costs to implement” says Gary.

Customer support during this vital stage of ForTheChef.com’s business was critical and Gary was delighted with his Peoplevox Implementation Team,

Monika and Colin, who he says were “absolutely tremendous”. He continues to praise them, saying that they really knew the solution inside and out and

that they got them up and running within a few weeks, which proved critical as they were setting up their operation, and that the speed and attention

with which Monika and Colin worked on their account really allowed them to get going without a hitch.

“They spent the right amount of time understanding our business, our SKUs, and the unique challenges our business and products presented”, says Gary.

Thanks to the Peoplevox warehouse management system, FortheChef.com are now able to run a seamless, integrated operation in which they

can reduce overhead and labor because of how automated the solution is. As soon as an order comes through their e-commerce portal it gets

pushed directly to the warehouse associates’ handhelds, speeding up things and allowing them to have a truly expedient operation.

From Day 1 the solution has been the perfect fit for our organization. It is truly an optimized, full-fledged e-commerce solution that is flexible enough to accommodate different scenarios and cases.

Gary Li, CEO FortheChef.com

FortheChef.com is a pureplay new e-commerce retail company

selling kitchen and tabletop products for the home and

professional chef, baker and entertainer.

The inspiration for FortheChef.com came after spending

hundreds of dollars on big brand kitchenware and still being left

dissatisfied with the product and price.

That is why FortheChef.com’s overall aim is to provide value, not

just by providing premium products at value pricing but also to

make everyone they deal with feel valued as a customer and

provide the most excellent customer care. Ultimately, they are

in the business to provide their customers with a good quality

product at an unbeatable price.

At the moment they carry around 2,500 unique SKUs which include

single items, pre-formed and customized kits, and case packs.

To find out more please visit

www.forthechef.com.

AboutFortheChef.com

Software-as-a-service warehouse management system

provider Peoplevox specialises in helping brands, pureplay

e-commerce and multi-channel retailers to improve the

efficiency and performance of their fulfilment. Peoplevox’s

solutions help companies handle the complexity of scaling

fulfilment operations and simplifying how people work.

If you’d like to know how we can help you please contact us to

speak to one of our specialists or visit our website

peoplevox.co.uk for more info.

AboutPeoplevox

One of the things that really impressed me was the fact that Peoplevox were able to support random locations out of the box, a feature that some of the bigger players were unable to provide - or in order to do so, we had to shell out tens of thousands in costs to implement.

Gary Li, CEO, FortheChef.com