Executive Summary
As India’s biggest gifting solutions provider, Ferns N Petals (FNP) is the one stop shop for all gifting needs, be it flowers, cakes, plants, personalised gifts, decoration services, or experiences. Following its resounding success in the subcontinent, FNP expanded into the UAE as FNP AE, where it quickly became an eCommerce leader, and the provider of choice for businesses and individuals looking to leave a lasting impression.
While FNP AE maintains an internal delivery fleet to manage the predictable baseline of daily deliveries, the firm is keenly aware of the potential for large spikes in demand that are unique to its industry. And while it began its partnership with Yango Delivery to manage these surges, the company soon realised more value than it initially expected. From empowering FNP AE to introduce impactful new services and revenue streams, to helping optimise routes and cutting operational costs, Yango Delivery offers a bouquet of benefits that have proven invaluable to the famous online florist.
Challenges
- Complexity of accommodating large spikes in delivery volumes during events and special occasions
- Ensuring freshness of goods-in-transit to ensure highest quality standards are stringently maintained
- Needed to strengthen redundancy of delivery operations that are critical to customer satisfaction and business growth
Results
- Can effectively manage 700%+ spikes in delivery volume on special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day
- Live tracking of delivery riders allows customers to be updated with real-time data
- Empowered to introduce new fast-track service — ‘Touch a Heart in 60 Minutes’
About FNP AE
Few companies dare make it their mission to ‘wow every customer, every time’. But Ferns N Petals UAE (FNP AE) follows an approach grounded in innovation, technology and being people-centric to make good on this commitment. For this reason, in just 8 years since its establishment in the country, the company has grown to become the largest online gifting shop in the Emirates.
Expect the Unexpected
Enabling businesses and individuals across the UAE to commemorate special moments with fresh flowers and fabulous gifts is the hallmark of FNP AE’s business. “We’re in the business of making heart-warming surprises possible, which actually takes significant amounts of planning and foresight,” said Vijay Ghadge, Vice President & Business Head at FNP UAE.
The company maintains an in-house fleet of vehicles to manage the predictable volume of daily deliveries. However, in the world of gifting, the potential for these volumes to spike far beyond the daily averages is significant. “Take Valentine’s Day for example, we see an incredible 700% spike in orders on this day alone. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day typically send our order volumes skyrocketing by 400%,” said Ghadge. “Handled correctly, this has the potential for tremendous benefit to our business. But on the flipside, if we fail to meet the delivery expectations of our customers on these special occasions, the impact on our brand image and ability to attract and retain customers could be disastrous. There’s simply no room for error!”
Recognising this risk, but also aware of the need to keep its operating costs in check so it can hold true on its commitment to providing customers with true value-for-money, FNP AE decided to work with a qualified delivery partner. “We wanted to build in redundancy to offer our customers the assurance that their gifts would be delivered on time, without having to scale up our in-house fleet. Teaming up with a last-mile logistics expert meant we could rely on their scale and specialisation to expand our delivery capabilities only as needed,” said Ghadge.
A Trusted Expert
The entry of Yango Delivery into the UAE market provided FNP AE with the precise opportunity they needed. Aware of the company’s established global presence, proven track record, and impressed by its unparalleled level of technology-driven innovation, FNP AE became the first company in the UAE to sign up with Yango Delivery. “Right from the get-go, their support was incredible. Their speed of response — around the clock — is unmatched. If we have a surge requirement, we only need to inform them a day in advance. And if we need to adjust our delivery forecasts, they are incredibly flexible,” said Ghadge. “They also go the extra mile in providing us with the same delivery agents who are now well-versed in our protocols which eliminates the need for constant training.”
While this support from Yango Delivery greatly benefited FNP AE’s business, the partnership between the organisations has blossomed because of all the added value made possible by the technology platform that the logistics company provides. “We have worked with other providers in the past, but Yango Delivery has a clear edge with the range of differentiated services and innovations they offer,” said Ghadge. “As an example, they offer multi-point pick-up and drop-off which, not only saves precious time and ensures the freshness of perishables such as cakes and chocolates, but also enables us to save on costs.”
Yango Delivery’s technology platform makes possible the live tracking of drivers and riders, and offers powerful route planning and optimisation algorithms. “These features mean we now expend minimal effort on planning deliveries and are able to keep our customers up-to-date on precisely where their orders are,” said Ghadge. “This is especially beneficial during highly critical events and special occasions when the margin for error is razor thin.”
Perhaps most impressive though is that Yango Delivery has enabled FNP AE to innovate and create new revenue streams. Leveraging the last-mile logistic provider’s Express Delivery option, the gifting solutions provider has been able to introduce its new and highly popular ‘Touch a Heart in 60 Minutes’ service. “Whether a customer forgot to wish their parents on their anniversary, or wants to plan a last-minute surprise party for a spouse, we make their celebrations special with our hassle-free, one hour delivery of gifts — made possible by Yango Delivery,” said Ghadge.
As FNP AE continues its expansion across the UAE, offering its world-class gifting services to an increasingly wider base of customers in the country, it will rely on the support of its trusted last-mile logistics partner. “With Yango Delivery, we have the confidence to scale at pace, knowing that our delivery operations — which are such a critical and impactful part of our business — are safely in the hands of the experts,” concluded Ghadge.
