International Catalogue Mailing & Distribution Case Study

Food Exporter has an Appetite for Increased Efficiency.

Ramsden International, the leading wholesale British food exporter, has saved almost ten days a year [this is based on the saving 2.5 days per mailing and sending 4 mailings per year] by using Parcelhub’s dedicated international mailing service to handle the worldwide distribution of its catalogues and marketing material.

Ramsden International ships to over 800 customers in 130 countries as far-reaching as the Cayman Islands, New Zealand and Sierra Leone and issues brochures and other marketing material to its entire database up to four times a year. Managing the complicated job in-house would take around two and a half days, so seven years ago, the decision was made to outsource the work to a professional fulfilment company.

 Ian Green, Head of Marketing at Ramsden International, said, “We export a vast range of over 23,000 grocery products from ethically sourced groceries to gourmet fine foods and popular British brands.

“It’s a competitive sector, so marketing ourselves effectively is important. We’re proud to hold the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, which recognises our ‘outstanding achievements in international trade’, but it means any activity we do needs to reflect this professional message. Ensuring our promotional material arrives on time and in good condition is a big part of this.

And it’s not only about the condition of what we’re sending. Because of the time it can take for post to reach some countries, we have to plan carefully so that seasonal brochures arrive early enough for orders to be taken and despatched well in advance of the last posting dates. We needed a delivery partner to work with us on this and handle a large number of variables.”

To meet the exact needs of Ramsden International, Parcelhub has to work to very tight deadlines. Although the job is booked weeks in advance, once the brochures arrive at the Parcelhub depot, they must be turned around within 24 hours and, wherever possible, despatched on the same day.

The brochures are received directly from the printers, and a team of 4-8 people sort and package them according to their destination. Everything is sent in high-quality envelopes sourced by Parcelhub, and addresses are printed at the depot on branded labels pre-supplied by Ramsden International.

Mark Rosenberg, Managing Director at Parcelhub, said, “Because of how we work and our relationships with international carriers, we already have everything in place to handle bulk mailings overseas. Everything is weighed and sent automatically via the provider that can meet the deadline at the best price. This means the customer doesn’t need any extra administration or paperwork, saving them time and money.”

Parcelhub, part of the Whistl group is one of the UK’s leading printed matter distribution providers, working with brand managers, advertising agencies, printers and publishers.