Drop-shipping can give brands a competitive advantage during the retail lockdown ordered by several governments to reduce contamination from the coronavirus. As previously reported, the current guidelines in Switzerland have been strongly criticized by the nation’s sporting goods retailers’ association, Asmas.
Bucher + Walt, the Swiss distributor who bought Dakine Europe last year, is offering a free drop-shipping option to all its retail partners in Switzerland, due to current retail lockdown in the country. All the orders placed by end consumers through Bucher + Walt’s internet platform can be delivered from its warehouse directly to any address throughout Switzerland.
The end customer receives a delivery note without the price of the product and the retailer receives the invoice directly from the distributor, which will only charge the shipping costs, without adding service fees until the lockdown ordered by the government is lifted.
For its own shop for boat supplies in St. Blaise, the company offers, in addition to the classic online ordering service for customers, the option of picking up the products on site in a pick-up box.
Bucher + Walt was planning to introduce its drop-shipping service gradually through the middle of 2021, starting with core shops and key accounts. It has decided to accelerate the program and to extend it to all retailers in Switzerland for all the brands in its portfolio, including Dakine. In 2021, new drop shipment functions including a click & collect option will be made available for full integration in the company’s program with its retail partners.
The service was meant to be part of a program intended to help retailers to develop their omni-channel capabilities and to boost store visits. For example, it ran a successful geo-localization test for Dakine with 30 shops during the past winter. The company is planning to launch a new internet platform in the summer.
The company agreed to take over Dakine’s European operations last year because it was the brand’s best distributor in Europe. It was involved in product development for the brand, which is being rejuvenated under Marquee Brands’ new ownership. It was also involved in marketing through story-telling initiatives with Blue Tomato, Amazon and other key retail clients.
Frank Heissat, the industry veteran who has remained in his position of Dakine Europe’s chief executive, based in France, told us at Ispo that Bucher + Walt was also chosen because of its superior logistics, IT and customer service. The company has been handling on average orders for some 4,500 items per day, using EDI as much as possible and ensuring good deliveries.
Its vast product portfolio enables major cross-selling opportunities in its relations with more than 2,000 retailers in Switzerland. It operates several brand websites and four web shops. It is very active on social media.
Besides Dakine, Bucher + Walt is a Swiss wholesale distributor for more than 100 brands including Henri Lloyd, Garmin, Humminbird, Spy, TSG, Globe, Liquid Force, Lewmar, Ronstan, Seldén and Jobe. The family business started in 1966 with the importation of nautical fittings, followed by action sports gear. It subsequently added electronics.
