NorthernGrip is a family-owned vintage store in Latvia, specialising in high-quality vintage goods, particularly items crafted 20 to 50 years ago. Each piece is carefully checked and restored to delight vintage enthusiasts online in the USA, Canada, and Western Europe markets.
Additionally, NorthernGrip has two physical stores in Riga. These stores not only cater to local vintage lovers but also charm visitors with their unique atmosphere and hosting pretty cool events, making them a must-visit during your trip to Riga.
Shipping challenges
NorthernGrip caters to international markets through a combination of website sales and sales on the Etsy marketplace, which has been highly instrumental in increasing its brand awareness, reaching a wider and more diverse customer base that leads to better sales opportunities. It also comes with its challenges, including increased shipping complexity and a need for simple and affordable shipping management solution.
Prior to discovering Swotzy, our biggest hurdle was navigating the labyrinth of traditional postal courier services. Not only were they considerably expensive, particularly for International shipments, but their online interfaces were also far from optimal.
The lack of user-friendly design meant NorthernGrip team found themselves grappling with multiple systems and logins, simply trying to compare carrier shipping rates.
Solution
Lauris Rutkis, Swotzy co-founder and CEO: ''NorthernGrip is exactly the type of customer we have in mind when we build and improve our platform. From my experience, I know how challenging it can be to manage multiple carriers, especially without a large IT team to handle all the technical aspects. Our main goal is to offer simplicity and efficiency in shipping management, allowing customers like NorthernGrip to dedicate all their time to growing their business instead of struggling with shipping''.
Moreover, NorthernGrip was among the first Swotzy customers to start using Shopify integration into their workflow with the goal of reducing the need for manual shipment detail entry and partially automating the process of purchasing shipping labels, further improving their efficiency in handling deliveries.
Results
Within just the initial month, NorthernGrip witnessed an average reduction of about 25% in their shipping expenses. Moreover, for certain destinations, the savings soared to between 50-70%. This was all achieved without compromising delivery speed or service quality.Β
Swotzy offered the ideal solution for our needsβa unified platform that streamlined the process of comparing and selecting the most suitable shipping options. Swotzy platform offers us simple yet effective shipping management tool, allowing us to efficiently handle our distribution needs across various online sales channels.
''The efficiency with which we could process shipments improved significantly. I'd also like to commend Swotzy's interface - it's exceptionally intuitive. A recent addition to our team was able to master it after just one shipment, a testament to its user-centric design'', NorthernGrip Export Development Manager Danute Jankovska.
Founded over 10 years ago by Beate, with support from her husband Raitis, the company focuses on promoting conscious consumption through sustainable practices. Their mission is to practise sustainability in every aspect of their business, valuing relationships with customers, partners, and employees, and prioritising kindness and ethics.
