Challenge
As House of Tinks expanded, they encountered several operational challenges that are common among fashion boutiques. Catrina and her team struggled with manual inventory tracking, relying on physical searches and spreadsheets to locate items in the warehouse, which resulted in time-consuming fulfillment processes and even shipping errors. When customers received the wrong items, this led to increased costs through return shipping, time spent with the exchange, and the cost of re-shipment. With hundreds of SKUs to manage, the lack of an effective system made scaling the business difficult, and the manual workflows were no longer sustainable. Like many fashion boutiques, they needed a reliable solution to optimize their warehouse operations, improve order accuracy, and save time—challenges that SKULabs is well-equipped to solve.
Improved Processes with SKULabs
Faced with these growing pains, House of Tinks turned to SKULabs to simplify and automate their operations. The initial goal was to have a process in place to eliminate inaccurate orders, reduce shipping costs, and cut time spent shipping as much as possible. The House of Tinks team took on this challenge and after implementing SKULabs, House of Tinks automated inventory tracking with real-time data, adopted barcode scanning to eliminate fulfillment errors, and optimized their warehouse organization.
The Result
With SKULabs’ inventory management and order fulfillment tools, House of Tinks was able to drastically reduce shipping times, prevent costly errors, and regain control over their warehouse. What once took hours to manage now takes half the time, allowing Catrina and her team to focus on what matters most—delivering quality products and service to their customers.
Key Changes in Their Process:
- Automation and accuracy: House of Tinks automated manual tasks like inventory tracking with barcodes and organizing their warehouse locations for order picking, significantly reducing errors.
- Efficiency gains: Time spent shipping was reduced by 50%, meaning more orders could be processed in a shorter time frame, enabling the business to scale without additional labor.
- Cost savings: By eliminating fulfillment mistakes, House of Tinks saved money on returns and reshipping costs which can be devastating to any business
- Better control of inventory: SKULabs PRO gave them full visibility of their inventory, making it easier to forecast needs, avoid stockouts, and manage seasonal collections
Future
With SKULabs in place, the future looks bright for House of Tinks. Now that Catrina and her team have optimized their inventory and order fulfillment processes, they can focus on expanding their boutique and enhancing the customer experience. The time and cost savings gained through SKULabs allow the team to concentrate on curating new collections, exploring new fashion trends, and connecting with a broader audience both online and in-store.
With plans to scale their online presence and potentially explore new markets, House of Tinks is well-positioned to handle increased demand without worrying about operational bottlenecks. The boutique can confidently expand its product offerings, knowing that their inventory and order fulfillment systems can grow with them. Additionally, the improved customer satisfaction from faster, error-free deliveries is helping build a loyal customer base that continues to drive repeat business.
As House of Tinks looks toward the future, Catrina envisions more personalized shopping experiences, collaborations with other fashion brands, and possibly expanding to new physical locations. Armed with SKULabs’ powerful tools and the operational freedom they’ve gained, House of Tinks is ready to embrace the next stage of growth with confidence and creativity. The boutique’s journey is just beginning, and the future is filled with exciting opportunities to make women everywhere feel stylish, confident, and empowered.
