VIP Merchandise scales industry with full-service EDI
Founded by entrepreneur Steven Sacra, VIP Products manufactures pet toys for today’s toughest dogs and their owners. The business started in his garage and quickly grew as national retailers discovered his product line.
For Sacra, growth required automation, especially when it came to doing EDI with its trading partners. In a recent video, he shared his company’s growth story, decision to outsource, and the time savings they’ve achieved by partnering with EDI Here.
The entrepreneur saw retailers’ demands weren’t easy, they included:
- Two-day delivery times
- Thousands of shipping locations
- Thousands of orders
These delivery times and data were too complex for his team to efficiently manage from the very beginning. He needed his staff focused on customer service and sales. Automation and a full-service EDI partnership were essential.
“EDI has an integration specialist who will actually pick up the phone, call the retailer and communicate with them about the information that they need relatively quickly and understand what the retailer is saying,” said Sacra.
VIP Products can now say ‘Yes’ to retailer EDI requirements
New retailers began to carry VIP’s pet toys and with each one came questions about VIP’s capabilities. Being EDI-capable was good for business.
Wendy Sacra, International Sales Manager at VIP Products explains. “When we engage with a new retailer, during the vendor setup process, the one question they always ask us is, “Do you work with EDI?” And we say, “Yes, we work with EDI Here.”
Today, VIP Products has automated with EDI with more than 35 retailers with the help of EDI Here’s technology and experts.
Entrepreneur discovers order complexity
As an entrepreneur, Sacra is a believer in outsourcing functions so your staff can focus on providing superior customer service and innovative designs.
“We’ve been with EDI for about 10 years and there comes a point in time when you realize that you need outside help. That usually happens when the first retailer approaches you and says, ‘By the way, you’re shipping to a thousand stores.’”
“This required VIP to input thousands of orders and locations into their system and ship within two business days. Sacra continued, “That’s where someone like EDI comes in, and they have an integration specialist who will actually pick up the phone, call the retailer and communicate with them the information that they need relatively quickly and understand what the retailer is saying.”
Having EDI take on these tasks with their retailers and providing the automation has made a difference in their business. Steve commented, “If EDI wasn’t available, it’d be almost impossible to be able to process a retailer’s orders. Just the sheer amount of staff that it would take to do that, it’s not even conceivable. It’s not even something you want to consider.”
VIP receives orders every Monday and Tuesday and uploads them into their internal systems in 10-15 seconds.
Just as VIP Products’ journey with its retailers, you too can manage the complexities of today’s retail environment. Learn more about how you can grow your business with full-service EDI here.
