Graeter’s is a family-owned craft ice cream maker headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. From humble beginnings selling out of pushcarts and horse-drawn wagons, Graeter’s has grown into a regional powerhouse with over 50 retail locations in five states. Their pints of Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel, and many other delicious flavors can be found in thousands of grocery stores around the U.S.
For more than a century, Graeter’s has produced its products using an artisanal French Pot process that yields just 2.5 gallons per batch. A commitment to this handcrafted method and customer satisfaction means one thing - they refuse to sacrifice quality in the name of profit.
Graeter’s has received significant acclaim over many years from prestigious industry publications, Hollywood superstars, and foodies galore. Their reputation for making great ice cream has been further boosted by creative marketing and a rich social media presence.
Image credit: Graeter's
Graeter’s had shipped its products to individuals for years and eventually began offering them online. Unlike many retailers selling through multiple sales channels, Graeter's preferred to limit eCommerce to its Magento site. By 2017, they were selling more than a quarter-million pints annually.
Dramatic sales growth revealed significant problems, however. The Graeter’s team was still handling multi-warehouse order management on a SaaS platform with limited capabilities. Combined with a range of manual fulfillment processes, this system was unable to meet the needs of an escalating eCommerce business.
Over time, formerly manageable operational issues had developed into overwhelming ice cream headaches.
For any eCommerce business, the combination of disrupted data flow, inventory hiccups, packing issues, and diminished warehouse control is a major problem. For an ice cream maker, it can become a meltdown - during order processing, on a delivery truck, or all over a customer’s doorstep.
Graeter’s assessed the situation and determined that it had to:
Our 2017 collaboration was a successful one, and over the past five years, Greater’s has thought of several highly specific functions to both enhance fulfillment operations and help exceed customer expectations. To achieve these goals, the SkuNexus team has been able to tweak the software as needed.
This implementation of new features is part of the long-term roadmap SkuNexus develops for all clients, and the results have been remarkable.
Graeter’s and SkuNexus have a deep history and we have been honored to partner with a company that shares the same values of honesty, quality, and integrity.
Looking ahead, the future is bright, and Graeter’s is opening a new fulfillment center built around SkuNexus. This will allow them to efficiently manage eCommerce ice cream sales which have grown more than 100% since 2017, from 270,000 to a sustained level above 550,000 pints/year.
Jaclyn von Stein
Director of eCommerce and Technology, Graeter's Ice Cream
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