QSR Print, Fulfillment and Electronic Ordering
Enhancing Order Entry and Fulfillment:
Serigraph On-line, Fulfillment and Project Management Services Cut Redundancies, Deliver Savings and Increase Speed to Market
Serigraph has a restaurant client that split its business between several print vendors and a separate fulfillment center. Their system for ordering point of purchase materials centered on having franchisees photocopy and fax orders into the headquarters facility. From there, orders were gathered and entered into an Excel spreadsheet before being sent to print companies. The process was time-consuming and fraught with errors. Orders were being lost, incorrect materials were being ordered, and it was difficult to ensure all franchisees were participating in corporate marketing programs.
On-line Ordering System
Serigraph developed a real-time web-based catalog and ordering system to manage the flow of point of purchase materials to 3,500 stores. This branded website was integrated into the clients’ network and designed for secure sign-on and monitoring of promotions. The system allows for real-time tracking of shipments and allows the company to view current inventory. By allowing for real-time inventory tracking, the client no longer had to create overrun for mistakes in fulfillment. In addition, the company was able to ensure compliance among stores by viewing who purchased what elements and when. Altogether, the ezPop system developed and implemented by Serigraph has taken the ordering process from 13 weeks to 5 weeks, allowing for 3 extra promotions each year.
Fulfillment
Our client was looking for ideas in modifying its existing fulfillment operations. Their printing sources were located in the West, Midwest and Northeast while their stores were located all through-out the states. POP elements had to travel from the differing suppliers to Boston, MA before it was kit-packed and shipped to each store. Serigraph detailed a distribution model in which the fulfillment was centrally located near Milwaukee. Serigraph would consolidate, warehouse, kit-pack and ship direct to stores, thereby saving the client more than $250,000 annually in freight charges.
Results
By consolidating all of its print and fulfillment, the customer realized a savings of:
- Reduced freight costs by $250,000 a year
- Reduced scheduling and reporting time from 2 weeks to 10 minutes
- Increased speed to market by 6 weeks
- Gained market advantage through increased ability to run extra promotions
- Increased kit accuracy near 100%
- Decreased obsolete inventory by one million
Here's what the QSR Vice President of Print Production and Fulfillment said afterward:
“The new ordering system has given us a great marketing advantage to be more nimble and responsive to market conditions.”
“It is much easier to manage the process through our single relationship with Serigraph. If there is a problem, I don’t hear about it. I know Serigraph will take care of the issue themselves and this alleviates many headaches for me. In addition, their staff has offered a constant source of support through-out the process, ensuring a simple system that works the way it was intended.”