Reimagining the fulfillment partnership relationship.
The Challenge
How do you tell the story of a brand that’s built around people, in an industry traditionally all about process?
The Approach
We built a full visual system infused with energy and play, paired with a transparent and honest communication platform.
Extending the brand experience from purchase to porch.
Way Partners is a shipping and fulfillment company with a different approach. They partner with brands to act as an extension of their team, in constant communication to ensure the delivery of items to customers is seamless and on-brand.
Located in Pensacola, Florida, the company started from frustration with other fulfillment services. The wrong orders were being sent, items delivered damaged, and the brand experience unfulfilled when orders went out the door. They had already begun fulfilling orders for two of their own companies seamlessly. With this, they decided to expand services to select other partners with similar needs. Small to midsize companies that wanted a hands-on-approach with their fulfillment partner. Someone who wanted an ‘internal-yet-external’ team. A true partnership.
Their approach seems obvious — partner with brands in line with how they work. Quality of relationship over quantity. Furthermore, focus on brands that require high brand touchpoints to delight customers upon unboxing. Surprisingly, most fulfillment companies don’t take this approach.
In order to properly differentiate Way from it’s competitors, we took a few key steps:
1) We dug into how other brands were positioning themselves to discover where our differentiators would allow us to shine through.
2) We took a deep dive with leadership on the Way team to learn in-depth about their processes, specifically their partnership approach with customers.
3) We held interviews with clients to hear first-hand from them about their experience with the Way team and how it compared to other fulfillment services they had used in the past.
During our workshop, we reviewed what we had heard from their customers. It reinforced our preliminary conversations with leadership. Clients worked with Way because it was the most seamless, hands-on experience with a fulfillment center they had experienced. They all had high expectations of the customer experience – from the time the order was placed, to the unboxing, to how issues were handled. Partnership first. Service first. It was the Way…Way.
Beyond the experience, they believed in not nickel-and-dime’ing their customer on each email, each piece of collateral inserted into a box, and each interaction. They quote flat fees based on the customer’s needs. Additionally, Way caters to a range of needs, including subscription models to products with unusual storage requirements i.e. cigars.
From this initial research and workshop, their purpose rose to the surface. A fulfillment partner,
“Driven by Relation-ships”
More than just a fulfillment service. An extension of your team – your dedicated Fulfillment Expert is your go-to every step of the way.
We believe in regular communication to address any concerns before they become problems. To identify areas for improvement and to be proactively refining. To take the time and thought to be an extension of your team – so you can focus on working on the business, not in the business.
This was neatly packaged into their new tagline:
“Flexible Fulfillment Solutions, Powered by a Passionate Alliance to Your Brand”
The brand positioning work served as the cornerstone for the rest of the messaging. As they serve businesses with different niched needs, we built custom messaging for each of these audiences.
Brand Focused Partner:
Your brand is front-and-center. The face of your company. Your customers buy not just for your product, but because that product came from YOU. Because of this, the unboxing experience rules all. High-touch packing procedures and attention to detail are a priority, so that the customer experience is a point of joy and surprise every single time.
Subscription-Based Partner:
Your ever-changing inventory of products and combination of items per order requires unique inventorying and fulfillment procedures. High-volume orders require intense attention to detail, and uniformity in presentation is key. The unboxing experience is also incredibly important month after month.
Simple Fulfillment Solutions // High Volume:
Quantity, speed, and quick turnaround are of utmost importance. Your product needs to get in the hands of your customers as quickly as possible, and what’s on the inside is more important than custom brand touches.
Delicate Packaging or Product:
Care is key. You need a dependable team that will handle your products with care…everything from lamps to glassware to computer monitors. You need a trusted fulfillment partner who will follow specific shipping guidelines, or collaborate to give feedback and suggestions on the safest shipping methods for your product.
With the positioning in hand, the entire visual system was now ready to be built from the ground up. The first priority was the logo. We landed on the concept of checking – and double-checking – every order to ensure it went beyond the customer’s expectations. The double check W came to life to create a mark that felt modern and timeless.
The visual look was based on the concept of ‘modern industrial’. Minimal. Leaning masculine. Clean and crisp but with unexpected pops of illustration and color. We embraced a simple palette. Navy, orange, yellow, light grey, and white. It feels like it fits well within the space, but with a human touch.
Illustration was key as we needed to convey a variety of services and engagement options in a visually exciting way. The illustration style allows us to do just that. From superhero fulfillment partners, to the process of order received to order out the door, we created an entire system to support their efforts.
Finally, their digital business card – their site – was built from the ground up. Its main purpose is to serve as an informational resource for potential clients. An important part of the site was to be clear on their partner approach. It acts as a gateway to screen who may be a good fit – and who wouldn’t be – for their services.
They also wanted the site to stand out. In a sea of sameness among development resources in how they presented themselves, they were eager to lean into the illusration assets developed. This allowed us to communicate services and processes in a clear, on-brand, engaging way and helps them rise above as a partner that takes a different approach.
