Discovering a Better Way
Shipping cost optimization has long been a priority of Stuller’s. Prior to partnering with Sifted, they worked with a company to audit their carrier invoices. Though it provided them with some cost savings, there were no comprehensive insights or actionable data.
“We paid a fee every month, the auditor would look at invoices for us, and then if the carrier charged us wrong, they would work for us to get a little bit of money back. There was no real insight to our shipping practices other than what we would track here locally.”
When Latiolais discovered Sifted, he instantly saw the value of a more comprehensive solution. With Sifted, Stuller received better data visibility and the ability to monitor shipping costs ongoing.
Action: Forecasting Future Spend
Stuller’s model is unique. They go above and beyond when it comes to customer satisfaction – and one of the ways they do that is via subsidized shipping costs. 70% of their customers take advantage of this through a membership called Stuller First, which allows them to pay a subscription fee in exchange for a flat shipping rate.
Latiolais explained that with data insights from Sifted, they are able to minimize losses and evaluate what flat rate is best for both them and their customers. In Sifted’s Spend Trend Summary, Stuller can see an annual and monthly breakdown of their total shipping spend and cost per pack, plus an overview of their spend by service type. All of this helps them to understand how much to raise their flat rate each year.
“My forecasting has gotten way better because of the data that’s available through Sifted. I can break it down by service levels, look at our spend trend, and get the costs pretty close. We’re making decisions based on that.”
Outcome: A Maintained Profit Margin
In 2024, Stuller made the informed decision to raise their flat rate for Stuller First members by $2. They forecasted future spend using Sifted dashboards like Spend Trend Summary and GRI Impact Analysis, and set rates that reflected that – maintaining profit margin.
Latiolais shared praise for how Sifted’s software has helped them make critical business decisions.
“I don’t know how my predecessor did without this data. If we ever looked at cutting expenses, this is something I would not get rid of. It’s too valuable. We can’t do this without the Sifted software.”
With Sifted, Stuller is armed with the data they need to minimize their losses, while still beating out competitors on the price of shipping. They get to continue putting their customers first, something Sifted is proud to support.
“The collaboration has been amazing… It has been a very good relationship.”
