Table of Contents
** Minutes
Going from an outdated 3PL to a global fulfillment platform
Implementing global fulfillment for an international customer base
Learn how the UK-based esports brand switched fulfillment partners in order to successfully implement global fulfillment for an international customer base.
Key metrics
Customer Profile
At 22 years old, McLaren race car driver, Lando Norris, is the youngest British driver in Formula 1. Since his ascent into Formula 1 racing in 2019, Lando has been a force to be reckoned with. Lando quickly gained popularity and to no surprise, so has Quadrant, the esports and apparel brand he launched last year. Quadrant offers gaming and racing-inspired apparel to the masses of Lando Norris and Formula 1 fans across the globe.
- 2 fulfillment centers: United Kingdom & United States
- 18 minutes taken to sell out 1st drop with ShipBob
- 8 million+ followers across all social media platforms
- Small team running a global business
About Quadrant
When Lando Norris isn’t behind the wheel of his Formula 1 racing car, he can be found behind a different wheel – a steering wheel controller, playing video games like F1 22.
When COVID lockdowns hit in 2020, Lando, an avid gamer, took to live streaming while he played. Because restrictions required people to stay home, gaming while streaming on Twitch became the predominant way Lando stayed connected with friends and fans.
That newfound connectedness through gaming inspired him to start a lifestyle brand to complement his motorsport career and break into esports. As a result, Lando and his team at Veloce created the brand, Quadrant, in 2021.
At its core, Quadrant is a team of content creators. The roster of gaming influencers focuses on providing entertainment that’s both casual and authentic. In addition to content, Quadrant offers fans apparel that is based on Lando’s personal style, passion for racing, and knack for gaming. Quadrant has adopted a drop-style business model, offering themed shirts, hoodies, and other apparel in limited quantities.
We sat down with Quadrant’s Apparel Lead, Will Kerr, to learn more about Quadrant, switching fulfillment providers in order to scale, and implementing a global fulfillment strategy.
Going from an outdated 3PL to a global fulfillment platform
As told to ShipBob by Will Kerr, Apparel Lead at Quadrant.
When we first got started, we worked with a couple small fulfillment partners but had a hard time finding one that was the right fit. Right before ShipBob, we worked with a small 3PL out of Leicester, UK.
After we’d already partnered with the fulfillment company, we found out that they didn’t use barcodes to input inventory into the warehouse. Instead they just manually counted each one. As you can imagine, this caused numerous issues. We often had situations where products would go missing or customers would tell us they received the wrong product. With ShipBob, that’s not an issue. All of those problems are in the past.
“ShipBob has given us increased visibility thanks to the dashboard that allows us to easily manage stock and orders. That wasn’t possible for us before. Our relationship with ShipBob has been a game-changer for Quadrant, and it’s made my life so much easier.”
– Will Kerr, Apparel Lead at Quadrant
ShipBob is incredibly easy to use – that’s my favorite part about it. It’s also given us the ability to partner with other compatible ecommerce tools. We began using Gorgias, a customer service company in order to interact with customers, find their orders, and see exactly where their order is in the fulfillment process. All of that is possible because of ShipBob.
Implementing global fulfillment for an international customer base
When we were with our last 3PL, one thing that was really challenging was fulfilling orders for our global audience. Worldwide shipping wasn’t necessarily out of our reach when we worked with them, but there were a lot of obstacles that got in our way. Dealing with duties and taxes was particularly difficult. In the end, that was one of the big reasons we decided to move to a different 3PL.
A brand we have a great relationship with uses ShipBob, so when they knew we were having trouble in the logistics area, one of their directors connected me with their rep at ShipBob. It was quite simple from there.
“By partnering with ShipBob, we’ve been able to not only ship from the UK but start shipping from a fulfillment center in the US to fulfill in-country orders for a much cheaper shipping cost. In the early stages of a brand like ours, we are focused on improving the customer experience. The customer comes first. We want them to get their product on time, intact, and with minimal shipping fees.”
– Will Kerr, Apparel Lead at Quadrant
Before we had in-country fulfillment in the US, when someone was shopping in the states, they were faced with ridiculous shipping costs. By opening up a warehouse in Arizona, that has completely changed. Now we can offer our US customers shipping costs that are comparable to that in the UK.
We can see the customer’s journey when they’re using our Shopify store. Before we had in-country fulfillment in the United States, we could see how many people would abandon their carts after they saw the shipping costs. Cart abandonment has dramatically decreased, and our conversion rate has improved.
Since joining ShipBob, international fulfillment has been incredibly easy, where beforehand it was frustrating. With our previous 3PL, we had to do a lot of site visits to check in and correct issues. ShipBob has completely taken that burden off our hands.
We have a small team – so for a business that is shipping globally, logistics can get quite difficult. ShipBob has been a great partner in streamlining final mile logistics and has allowed us to continue to scale.
Finding the right support for a drop model apparel business
Quadrant operates using a drop model, meaning we offer a select number of units each release and they sell out really fast. We run on the idea of “if you’re quick enough, you can get a piece.” Our last drop sold out in 18 minutes – it was amazing!
The key to this model is ensuring we are able to fulfill a massive spike in demand within a reasonable timeframe. With ShipBob, we are able to trust that orders will get out in a timely manner.
Our next drop will be our second with ShipBob. The entire way we do drops has changed, and we look at logistics totally differently now.
What’s next for Quadrant
We want to really capitalize on the US market going forward. Formula 1 racing is only getting bigger in the states, and so is Lando. Quadrants localized fulfillment here will be a huge help.
We’ve opened up two fulfillment centers with ShipBob already, and the EU will be the next step. We want to get inventory set up in Poland to facilitate inter-EU shipping for our European customers. That will allow us to have a fulfillment presence in three key markets: the UK, US, and EU.
We want to focus on making the experience better for our customers. Localizing shipping has been a great way to avoid customers getting hit with customs fees and delays. We stuck with Delivery Duties Unpaid for the last drop, so we’re exploring Delivery Duties Paid for future drops as ShipBob rolls out DDP shipping from more countries.
We’re working with a new production partner that has helped us expand the apparel we offer and also add other racing-related products. 2023 is looking really exciting – in terms of both drop frequency and what will be available to purchase.
We’re continuing to grow, and the demand is still there. Our goal is to continue building the brand’s demand, and we look forward to further expansion and scalability with ShipBob.
Quadrant’s team at ShipBob
Brian Totten
Brian is the Account Executive at who helped Quadrant get onboarded with ShipBob.
Neel Banerjee
Neel is a Merchant Success Specialist at ShipBob and helps support Quadrant.
Get started with ShipBob
Ready to implement global fulfillment? Request a fulfillment quote from ShipBob below.
