After consolidating stock with MCF, Outsmarted saw an overall 733% increase in business growth

The challenge

Overcoming an inefficient international shipping process

For companies that operate across multiple continents, shipping can be a constant struggle. Managing multiple third-party logistics (3PL) partners in different time zones can cause operational hiccups, an inconsistent customer experience, and inefficiencies across the board.

For Outsmarted, a live quiz show board game that was launched after a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2021, solving their 3PL conundrum was a challenge. When Jamal Hirani, Chief Commercial Officer of Outsmarted and Qplay, joined the company in 2023, he saw a fun, engaging product with a distribution process that was holding it back.

Jamal quickly noticed Outsmarted’s warehousing and distribution process was enormously inefficient: Outsmarted was shipping their product to customers in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia, and engaging separate 3PL partners to manage warehouse and distribution across each region. The team spent too much time juggling vendor relationships, and the customer and delivery experience varied widely. Some 3PLs delivered quickly, consistently, and on time, while others did not. Jamal says, “One year the on-time delivery rate for the 3PL we used in Europe was 80%, meaning they missed the estimated delivery time in 20% of their orders,” he says. “That had a real impact, and I felt that we couldn’t continue in that way.”

Additionally, Outsmarted is a seasonal product: 90% of the company’s sales occur in November and December each year. “Customers expect their delivery within 24 to 48 hours, particularly at Christmas time,” says Jamal. “And that was uncertain from the different 3PLs, it was very hit or miss.” Plus, most of their warehousing partners allotted a limited amount of space for their product during peak season, but “never enough to actually accelerate growth,” said Jamal.

The solution

A single 3PL that could fuel growth across all regions

When Jamal learned about Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF), he saw an opportunity: He could consolidate Outsmarted’s warehousing and distribution into a single 3PL, which would immediately increase efficiency, offer predictable and fast delivery across all regions, and result in a more consistent customer experience. And with MCF as that 3PL, Outsmarted was able to access Amazon’s complete suite of supply chain services, including Amazon Global Shipping, which now picks their stock from China and delivers it directly to Amazon Warehousing and Distribution, where it’s stored for distribution. With Outsmarted stock consolidated in Amazon warehouses, they were also better positioned to grow their sales on Amazon.com—which were only about 5% of the business at the time—with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), the Amazon fulfillment service for products sold on Amazon.com.

With these pieces in place, Outsmarted was able to:

1. Streamline business efficiency: Outsmarted went from working with five or six separate 3PLs across the world to a single warehousing partner. What’s the day-to-day impact of consolidating 3PL service? For Jamal, it’s reflected in an increased ease of operations and a high level of service. “There is always someone within the Amazon infrastructure that I have a direct line to, that will get back to me immediately,” he says. “Having one port of call rather than five different 3PL people in different time zones that I’d have to deal with if I have issues is key,” he says. “If I have an issue, I just send one email [to the Amazon team], and it’s resolved,” says Jamal.
2. Utilize automated integrations: MCF offers more than 100 software integrations to help businesses streamline their delivery process. Outsmarted takes advantage of ByteStand’s integration for Shopify and MCF, which allows them to ,display accurate delivery time options to shoppers based on their location. With this integration, shoppers can choose delivery options as they check out, based on what’s available to them in their region.
3. Provide a consistent customer experience: With MCF, which has a 97% on-time delivery rate, Outsmarted can now provide fast, accurate delivery to customers around the world. Plus, the Outsmarted team has now established deep relationships with the MCF team—the MCF team knows the product, the company’s needs, and their specific challenges inside and out, and can quickly jump in to solve issues as they arise. “There’s now a high level of reliability and trust, and it’s because they understand our business and the pressures we face,” says Jamal. One example: Outsmarted’s MCF account manager supports them with proactive stock planning and management, to ensure they have enough stock ready to ship in its warehouses during peak season, enabling them to fulfil orders quickly and keep their delivery promises.

The result

Increased sales and faster delivery speeds

After consolidating their warehousing and delivery with MCF in 2023, Outsmarted saw a huge jump in sales. They are now able to provide accurate delivery time estimates, and have increased their efficiency. With MCF as their sole 3PL, Outsmarted experienced:

• 733% increase in net sales in two years: “This year we’ll do around £15 million of net sales; two years ago we were doing 1.8 million,” says Jamal. That’s an increase of 733% in just two years.
• 90% of deliveries within two days: “The majority of customers, 90% plus, receive their delivery within two days,” says Jamal. Customers in regions where expedited shipping is available have the option to choose even faster delivery—sometimes same-day delivery—for an additional fee.
• 400% increase in sales on Amazon.com in two years: With their stock consolidated in Amazon warehouses and fulfilment centres, Outsmarted increased their advertising on Amazon.com, and saw sales increase from 250k to £4.5 million

Outsmarted chose Amazon MCF to consolidate their warehousing and distribution, and saw their business grow beyond expectations. “We feel confident that we can guarantee next-day delivery,” says Jamal. “We now invest a lot of money into advertising to drive consumers onto our website to look at our product, and when they want to buy it we’re able to say, ‘Yes it can be delivered to you tomorrow.’”

With MCF as their fulfilment partner, Outsmarted is now eyeing even more growth, launching new products and planning expansion into the Middle East and India. “We knew we had a great product and we had to get it out there,” says Jamal. The key? “Having the medium and mode to support the product.”