Case Study: FAITHFULL & Williams – Going beyond for the customer experience
Company overview
FAITHFULL is a women's fashion brand founded 10 years ago by business partners Sarah-Jane Abrahams and Helle Them-Enger. With operations in both Australia and Indonesia, FAITHFULL has reached global brand status, building longstanding partnerships with major partners in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia – including Net-a-Porter, Mytheresa, Harvey Nichols and David Jones.
The challenge
FAITHFULL’s challenge was similar to that of fast-growing fashion companies everywhere. How to scale up operations and maintain the efficiency and accuracy of those operations as consumer demand increases.
With approximately 75% of stock delivered to locations outside of Australia, FAITHFULL found it was becoming increasingly reliant on its International 3PL (third party logistics) provider to manage its increasingly complex logistics operations. With the company shifting the focus of its global operations towards Asia and needing a 3PL capable of providing flexible solutions for its growing business, it became clear that FAITHFULL’s International 3PL providers were unable to keep pace with the company’s needs.
The solution
Instead of retaining its US logistics sites to fulfill orders to Asia and Europe, FAITHFULL made the conscious decision to transfer its entire international e-commerce operations outside of the United States and Canada to Williams. The reason? Williams has proved more streamlined and efficient processes than FAITHFULL’s International 3PL provider.
“Communication is really important to us. That doesn’t just mean communicating when something has gone wrong but being really proactive as well. Williams are always on the front foot in terms of looking at what can be done better.”
Lloyd explains that Williams set up integrations with multi-currency cross border ecommerce payment solution to assist FAITHFULL in opening new markets in Asia, the United Arab Emirates and beyond.
“Not only has Mary (Williams Logistics Director) gone above and beyond to streamline our new processes, she has saved FAITHFULL a huge amount of time and cost. We receive inventory reports every day and Williams’ order accuracy would be 99.9% correct.”
Williams has been an excellent fit in more ways than one. As well as boosting the accuracy rate of FAITHFULL’s orders, Williams has demonstrated its ability to adapt to FAITHFULL’s changing needs – from handling special marketing campaign requirements to managing fluctuating seasonal demands.
The two companies are also aligned on the need to promote ethical business practices and sustainability. FAITHFULL and Williams are committed to giving back to the communities in which they operate, providing good work conditions for staff and upskilling team members. Both companies have been certified as B Corp companies for their commitment to ESG principles.
Results and benefits
The partnership between FAITHFULL and Williams Logistics is a clear example of the support a 3PL provider can offer a growing fashion brand's global operations. Since shifting its operations to Williams, Faithfull has:
Expanded its e-commerce operations globally
Improved its customer satisfaction levels with more accurate and timely deliveries
Streamlined its operations by consolidating international shipments through Williams’ operations hub in Sydney
Shifted its focus to core business activities while trusting Williams to handle complex logistics tasks.
“Throughout my time at FAITHFULL, Williams has without a doubt been one of my favourite business partners to work with. They are proactive, flexible and make us feel like we are their most important client. Their accuracy is impressive, and they consistently go above and beyond to solve problems for us.”
It’s a ringing endorsement from a brand currently undergoing huge transformation and whose complex logistics operations require an efficient and solutions-oriented 3PL partner.
Fast Facts
Years in operation: Approximately 10 years.
Number of locations: Wholesale only.
Employee count: Approximately 140 (120 in Bali and 20 in Australia).
Units sold: Between 12,000 and 20,000 annually.
Efficiency: Williams Logistics achieves a 99.9% accuracy rate for Faithfull’s orders.
Sustainability: Faithfull is a B Corp certified business.
Distribution: Approximately 75% of orders are wholesale and 25% are e-commerce.