UK headquartered Packline Solutions, which counts Australia as a primary market, has announced a two-pronged strategy to remain competitive in the face of Amazon's entry into this market.
Packline says it has a strategy for the new economy, an economy in which the so-called Amazon effect – the disruption of the retail market resulting from increased e-commerce with consumers shifting to shopping online.
According to Murray Sellers, managing partner at Packline Solutions, to date Australia has been sheltered from this effect, but with the impending arrival of Amazon in our market the company has taken steps to future-proof its business.
“We are in the fortunate position of dealing with experienced providers to the Industry in both North America and Europe, and we have come up with a two-part strategy to ensure that we remain positioned to support the Australian packaging market and pro-actively grow sales,” he said.
Sellers said that after four years of rapid growth, the company's warehouse facility at its Castlemaine head office could no longer handle demand.
“The increased size of our daily dispatches was overwhelming the rural leg of the transport network resulting in delayed delivery to our valued interstate customers,” he said.
This was due to its widening the range of consumables on offer and an increase in the number of distributors using its direct to customer service.
The first part of the strategy includes opening, on 4 September, a new national distribution centre (NDC) in Melbourne. The facility will also house a dedicated training facility for all of Packline's machinery products.
“Part two includes our Amazon-Ready program to ensure that our products are set up with the relevant codes, hosted images and descriptions [that will] enable [customers] to set up an multichannel online presence simply and efficiently,” Sellers said.
Following the opening of the new NDC, Packline customers should enjoy, among other benefits, guaranteed next day delivery interstate; a reduction in price of freight to Western Australia; and improved direct delivery services for customers' ecommerce sales.
