There’s an old saying in business: “The customer is always right”.
While there are some exceptions, one aspect always holds: the customer is always right about their experience with your company. If you can’t provide the experience they are looking for, eventually, they will look elsewhere.
We recently spoke with Liz Cain, Director of Stores at Salon Service Group (SSG), who shared her experience switching to the Delivery Solutions last-mile delivery platform.
Since making the switch, Delivery Solutions has become the backbone of the SSG eCommerce offering. Not only does SSG now offer same-day delivery service to clients, but Liz’s team can control their costs, reduce the time for their sales teams, and allow customers to focus on being consultative strategists rather than order takers.
SSG needed a Same-Day solution that matched demand and standardized pricing
Salon Service Group is a wholesale hair care distributorship operating almost 70 locations and serving thousands of licensed cosmetologists across the heartland of America for decades.
Salon Service Group faced a rapidly changing landscape over the last five years, just like any retailer. “It feels really strange to even think about a time when you couldn't have a DoorDash order,” remembers Liz, “but just a few short years ago, DoorDash was limited and not what it is today.”
That is until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
While the company did have an existing Same-Day Delivery service provider, it did not offer the flexibility it needed to keep up with the new demand from its customer base.
“We didn't have delivery coverage in every market. That was the first difficult thing,” Liz recalls. “The other thing that made it tricky was the pricing. The pricing was on a scaled set, and it made it really difficult for not only us to understand but also for us to turn around and price for our customers.”
Considering these cosmetologists have businesses and clients of their own, Salon Service Group’s customers have equally high expectations of their wholesalers, who must provide fast, reliable delivery services to service their clientele.
With demand rising and pricing changing, Liz and her team decided it was time for a change.
Joining the evolution of Same-Day Delivery
When seeking a Same-Day solution to meet demand, Liz was told about Delivery Solutions by a trusted partner. Liz and her team quickly recognized the platform's potential.
The combined orchestration capability and connectivity to multiple DSPs made the DS platform the clear winner. By Liz’s account, the implementation process went smoothly. “We learned a lot along the way, and we had a lot of conversations with our [Delivery Solutions] support team to get there.
The opportunity that Salon Service Group was facing was an API integration of their e-commerce platform with Delivery Solutions.
The company adapted to the changing consumer behavior and market trends by embracing digital transformation, setting a new standard for operational efficiency and customer engagement.
Success at Scale: A Predictive Competitive Edge
Integrating with Delivery Solutions completely changed how Salon Service Group conducted business. Most importantly, it allowed customers to place their orders however they wished.
Previously, orders were handled by phone only, which put a strain on the account managers. At the same time, busy salon owners might not have a chance to place a last-minute order.
With their API integration into Delivery Solutions, salon owners can simply speak to their Salon Service Group representative. The representative then enters the Same-Day order into the system and processes the order as normal.
If a salon order prefers to place the order themselves, they can do this with Delivery Solutions.
With more agency to place orders, customers also got far more predictable pricing.
“The most enticing piece [of Delivery Solutions] was definitely the ability to utilize multiple DSPs within our platform,” said Liz. " That helps us grow our business across multiple states.” Liz and her team extended Salon Service Group's delivery mileage radius, enabling them to compete effectively with other companies while being transparent about pricing.
This predictable consistency is also scalable. “Our customers know what to expect, and it doesn't change on a month-to-month, quarter-to-quarter basis,” Liz said.
Let customers order how they want with the Delivery Solutions platform
Now, more than ever, retailers must adapt and respond to their customers' needs.
Salon Service Group’s search for a reliable and efficient same-day delivery solution to meet consumers' rapidly changing demands led them to Delivery Solutions.
The same-day platform not only gets salon owners the products they need in the time needed but also empowers busy customers to place orders on their own terms.
“For [Salon Service Group], we are able to streamline the process with the technology advancements on the Delivery Solutions side,” said Liz. “And on our side, we know that we keep moving forward because of enhancements to your platform. We know the direction that we are going in, and we know that will align us closely together.”
When your customer journey is smooth, your business thrives. See how Delivery Solutions can make this a reality. Book a demo.
Topics from this blog: Case Studies