From copying data to automating dispatch processes – a case study of the sunroot.eu e-shop

„The Sunroot e-shop's satisfaction with Neoship's services lies above all in the many hours of work saved, in the individual approach to handling requests and, last but not least, in the fast and efficient communication with the carrier.” (Alica Kyselová, Sunroot Sales Coordinator)

What results did working with Neoship bring Sunroot?

How did Sunroot manage to achieve these results? Read on and you will find out more.

A few words about Sunroot

The sunroot.eu e-shop was founded in 2014. At the time, the idea of setting up the e-shop was tied to a little-known plant, the Jerusalem artichoke. You can read how the idea came about and more about their products on their website. From the very beginning Sunroot's goal was to offer quality food and bring it to the attention of the wider public. They succeeded. Today many people are fans of their products. Among the best known are the cyclist Peter Sagan, the fitness personality Tatiana Žideková and the actress Mary Bartálos, who are also influencers for the brand.

What were the beginnings of dispatch like?

Like many other e-shops starting out, Sunroot initially used only Slovak Post to deliver parcels. As orders grew, so did customer demand for delivery by courier. Neoship's services fully covered their courier needs. At prices comparable with other transport companies they gained not only a carrier's services (in cooperation with our partner transport company Slovak Parcel Service) but also added value in the form of a dispatch system. We are still enjoying that successful cooperation today.

The core idea when developing Neoship was to automate the processes involved in dispatch, and thereby save e-shops time and money at the same time.

So when we talk about using Neoship in that respect, automating dispatch was not the most significant part in the early days, given the number of orders. The need for it only came later. Besides automation, Neoship offers users plenty of other features, so every e-shop (as was the case at Sunroot) can find something for itself.

You can see what Neoship could bring your e-shop in our video.

Copying data manually

The Sunroot e-shop has used the WordPress plugin WooCommerce to manage orders from the beginning right up to today. When it was set up in 2014, e-shop platforms and invoicing systems did not offer the kind of advanced integration options with other systems (such as Neoship) that they do now. Most e-shops worked on the principle of manually copying data from the administration and entering it into the carrier's system. That is exactly how it worked at Sunroot for a long time. It was very laborious, prone to errors and time-consuming.

The next level – CSV/XML exports

In some types of e-shop solutions the administration offered the option of exporting data via CSV/XML files. It was in our interest to find a way for Sunroot to get data from the e-shop through Neoship to the carrier easily too. At the time we proposed a solution at the level of exporting data from WooCommerce via CSV exports. Shortly afterwards we learned that Sunroot had switched to a new invoicing system, SuperFaktúra.

At Neoship we focus on developing ready-made dispatch solutions for e-shops through which the whole dispatch can be handled straight from the e-shop or invoicing system admin.

The need for automation

Sunroot's orders grew year after year. In 2019 their number multiplied, and they felt the need for automation more than ever, since dispatch was taking up too much time. We looked at the options that would solve their current situation:

As we outlined above, Sunroot uses the SuperFaktúra invoicing system, with which Neoship is integrated to such an extent that from invoices the user creates not only parcels (data) but can also match COD payments with invoices via CSV/XML files. Time is saved on both of these key activities. And significantly so. According to Alica Kyselová it is more than 1 hour a day.

Take a look at how dispatch from SuperFaktúra and matching COD payments with issued invoices works.

During 2019 we continued developing and integrating Neoship for users of open source solutions, WooCommerce among them.

In Sunroot's case another alternative therefore came into consideration, namely dispatching straight from the e-shop. Through the Neoship plugin integrated in WooCommerce they could dispatch orders from the administration, conveniently print labels there along with the handover protocol and track the shipment's delivery progress. Apart from the last of these, they already had all the functions mentioned above in SuperFaktúra, plus the option of automated COD matching. The ready-made solution in SuperFaktúra ultimately brings them greater benefit, which is why they continue using it.

Mediated communication with the carrier

Besides automation, Sunroot started making more intensive use of another Neoship feature – mediated communication with the carrier. Normally e-shops handle these matters by calling the carrier's customer line, waiting to be put through to an operator and only then getting the request dealt with. Thanks to Neoship, Sunroot handles all customer requests from one place, quickly, efficiently and without having to think about who to call or e-mail. Replies to registered requests come straight to their e-mail and the shipment stays specially marked in Neoship.

Dispatch with Neoship under one roof

Does dispatch take up too much of your time? Would you appreciate one of Neoship's features in your e-shop? If so, do not hesitate to get in touch. We will be happy to look at how we can help you with your dispatch processes. Perhaps your e-shop will be the next one for which working with Neoship brings the desired results in the form of saved time and money.