Disruptions happen all the time. Sometimes they happen unexpectedly, like the Ever Given blockage at the Suez Canal. But often we get at least a short notice period in which we can act. That’s what happened for an innovative e-commerce retailer who managed to bypass huge strike disruption and never looked back.
2022 saw no shortage of strike action and Royal Mail in the UK was no exception. Royal Mail engaged in a series of strike actions starting in June last year and continuing through December. The first sets of strike actions impacted this online retailer more than anticipated. So with the Royal Mail gearing up for multiple strikes in the month of August, they knew something had to change.
That change came in the form of a newly developed API that gave them the power to automate logistics decision-making to get the best possible outcome. Even with the strikes.
Retailer results
The e-commerce site was able to act quickly through our integration. They used the 7bridges Automation API to automatically find the best carrier for every order they receive. Prior to the strike action and before using the API, they sent an average of 14,000 shipments through Royal Mail each month. In response to the strike action and by using our Automation API, they dropped down to only 1,600 shipments per month. Reducing their use of that service by nearly 90% enabling them to effectively mitigate much of the disruption caused by the Royal Mail strikes.
And while that might be expected during turbulence, the platform intelligence revealed that Royal Mail hadn’t been their best choice for some time. So they never reversed that reduction. Instead, saving money and time by having the best choice for each shipment chosen automatically, which meant switching to other carriers.
While this retailer used the API primarily in its carrier decisions, there are so many more possibilities for how Automation API can easily and unobtrusively help your team make more efficient decisions.
Automation API
Businesses all struggle with resilience, costs and sustainable growth and supply chain management touches all of them. But most systems don’t give you the depth of detail you need to overcome disruption. Especially not while remaining adaptable enough to consider your business needs around cost, speed and service levels. All while being able to respond rapidly to big changes.
But this is where using a data-powered platform like 7bridges can help you drive those important business outcomes.
This integration gives enterprise businesses of all types a way to access both the 7bridges shipment optimisation and our network of logistics providers. Which gives you a way to reach more providers and that are better fits for your needs. And because this works through API, you can start using it with minimal disruption to your existing workflow.
The Automation API makes it simple to use the intelligence of the 7bridges platform in the systems and interfaces you already have in place. Not only can it help you choose the best carrier and service level for your shipments, but it can also automate document and label creation.
Keeping your supply chain moving effectively during disruption is critical, especially in a time when disruption can feel like the norm. And this API lets you take a part of the resilience and adaptability that our platform creates and embed it into the ways you’re already working.
Want to know more about how we can make your supply chain more resilient without negatively impacting your day to day? Reach out and have a chat with one of our experts.