The “work hard, play hard” mantra has never been more relevant than today. As remote work and learning become part of the norm, more people are looking for equipment that will not only keep them productive but also game-ready. As a long-time IT professional, Edmark Gruezo understood the need of this growing market which is why he built PhoenixLab. Joining him on this mission is cloud logistics network, LOCAD, which provides on-demand warehousing and multi-channel fulfillment.
Online selling on easy mode
With LOCAD in the team, PhoenixLab’s operations are now efficient—but that hasn’t always been the case. Before LOCAD, Gruezo had a hard time providing top-of-the-line products and services to his customers, because of fulfillment woes. He had to devise ways to deal with scheduled pick-ups not arriving on time, or not at all in his warehouse, on top of managing and sorting the orders correctly before shipping them out.
“Since I have other delivery partners, I also had to coordinate with all their couriers to schedule the pick-up from the warehouse. That was the second pain point. But what if they didn’t go? Sometimes the riders get lost, then orders also get lost,” he recalls.
But since moving to LOCAD, Gruezo says that he was able to address those business pain points, making “everything become smooth and automated.”
In addition, the seamless cross-platform integration of his shop to LOCAD was the biggest selling point that had him boosting his earnings from zero up to 80% in one online marketplace. Gruezo knew expanding his presence by having multiple online stores was key to success, but he could not do it because managing inventory across two channels would be an insurmountable task for him alone. Luckily, he had LOCAD.
Months later, Gruezo restarted selling in the marketplace where he used to be inactive. The difference was he replaced his former fulfillment partners with LOCAD. The result: “Sales doubled.”
Perfecting customer satisfaction Budding e-commerce players now have a higher chance of acquiring new customers provided that they can offer convenience and a more seamless user experience, according to LOCAD’s 2022 e-commerce trend report. While this presents a unique challenge for online brands to up their game to keep their loyal customers from switching, the ones they satisfy and eventually retain spend 1.2x more.
By delivering exceptional customer service, new brands like PhoenixLab have a good jumping-off point in the competitive field of office and gaming supply industry.
Today PhoenixLab’s customers range from IT professionals, gamers, online shop owners, to students. Gruezo is confident that their top-quality products such as laptop accessories, desk organizers, and gaming chairs keep these clients engaged and loyal. It is a far scenario from the challenge he faced years ago: the average Filipino shopper’s general distrust of online shopping. Gruezo attributes it to the bad selling processes then of vendors in the market: “A lot of stores just sell products but do not value the quality. Once they sell or there are concerns, they just ignore the customer. People then think that it’s hard to make a purchase online.”
It was an attitude that he firmly discarded. Grounded by his personal experience as a shopper, Gruezo has always put primacy on giving unparalleled customer experience, saying that “even if I lose out, I take care of the customers.”
Before LOCAD, Gruezo was always worried about customer feedback as his former fulfillment partners would sometimes fail to package products correctly.
“My old delivery partner was also fast. However, when there were campaigns like 2/2 or 12/12, they were not aware of those events and the sudden spikes in sales,” he explains the situation back then. “Missing items were my biggest problems during such campaigns.”
However, partnering with LOCAD not only resolved his packaging issues but got him positive feedback from his customers for the fast and safe delivery of their work-from-home and gaming equipment.
Leveling up
Today, with operations flowing effectively, Gruezo is able to channel his time to other matters that need his further attention. One priority is the integration of LOCAD to PhoenixLab’s website in order to facilitate direct-to-customer purchases and same-day delivery, goals he is gearing up to achieve soon. With customer expectation rising high, Gruezo is positive that remote work will remain on the horizon, regardless of the development of COVID-19 in the country.
“People now see the opportunity of working from home. This trend might still continue in the years to come. As for me, I will continue selling more products and promoting integration to keep up with it,” he says.
For budding business owners who would like to be rid of the worries about their deliveries as they are starting from ground zero, Gruezo advises teaming up with LOCAD for its practicality.
He elaborates, “Using LOCAD is cost-effective. For example, if you are going to rent a warehouse or employ staff, you need to pay not just one month, but in advance, and you also have to pay the staff regularly. But compared to LOCAD, you just need to pay for what you use. If there is a sudden surge or change in orders, you can scale up or scale down easily.”
Now, with more sales and repeat clients pouring in, PhoenixLab is slowly but surely fulfilling its goals of helping the customers attain remote-work-life balance one Filipino at a time. As Gruezo says, “They can work harder, more productively, and play harder, enjoying their games.”
