With Dany Bachir, Vice President Operations at Kotn
Meeting consumer expectations for quicker delivery times at a reasonable cost
Kotn is a Canadian-headquartered retailer of sustainable clothing and home decor. In 2015, founders Benjamin Sehl, Mackenzie Yeates, and Rami Helali sought to create an ethical and sustainable approach to fashion, sourcing their cotton from the Nile Delta. Over time, they realized that their formula worked and began to apply their philosophy to other categories like home goods and decor.
Since inception, the business has been on a quick path to scale. Kotn is expected to double in size this year. 80% of orders are from their e-commerce channel while 20% takes place in-store.
But with growth, comes high expectations. In the greater Toronto area, as well as the rest of North America, consumers are demanding quicker shipping times. The 2-3 day delivery window offered by national providers no longer cuts it. That’s where Swyft comes in.
According to Dany, integrating with Swyft was “very smooth.” Onboarding technology is usually the biggest headache beginning any partnership, but Swyft found a way to make the integration a breeze and coordination with existing 3PLs seamless.
Swyft’s asset-less, SW-focused approach was exactly what Kotn needed to feel comfortable that SLAs would be met and that Swyft would be able to flexibly scale up or down depending on need. Being able to integrate with Kotn’s Shopify store in just a few clicks was the icing on the cake.
Now, shoppers have the ability to see an “Accelerated Swyft Next-Day Delivery” option at checkout. Customers appreciate the delight knowing that their orders will come quickly and the security knowing their order will arrive on time.
Occasionally, Kotn encounters the need to update their systems, like introducing a new inventory management system. In each instance, Swyft has proven to be a thoughtful and communicative partner, capable of meeting every new need.
“We like to see Swyft grow and would like to continue the partnership as we grow as well.”
To make the most of their e-commerce operations, Kotn emphasized 3 core goals that their previous last-mile delivery provider was unequipped to support:
Swyft was not only able to introduce these features to the business but do so at 70% of the cost of Canada’s national courier and also perform with an SLA well above 95%. In relatively short order, Swyft has become core to Kotn’s ability to deliver a delightful consumer experience.
Kotn currently processes 300-400 orders each day. Looking forward, Kotn plans to expand geographically throughout the United States and roll out next day shipping capabilities beyond the greater Toronto area. Most importantly, the business plans to launch direct store fulfillment, which will allow the retailer to handle online fulfillment from wherever they are locally positioned. Not only will Swyft be the first call for the launch of these initiatives, their coordination and routing technology will be necessary to support Kotn’s plans for a distributed fulfillment network.
“Swyft will be my first choice when I go into a new city.”
Dany Bachir, Vice President Operations at Kotn
