Over the course of several years, we heard feedback from our people that the company store solution did not serve us well. I spearheaded an effort to change the way we engage our employees, customers and others with branded promotional items and apparel.
Identifying the Problem
In collaboration with another department, we took a deeper look at the current company store. This digital storefront was provided by an outside vendor, so we were limited to selecting items they were willing to source and provide. We were responsible for the quantities needed for drop shipping, regardless of what was actually sold. The prices were high, shipping was expensive and processing times were slow. The items were branded but generic enough for us to justify keeping them around for years. There was a complicated login process that made it difficult to access the site.
Crafting a Solution
Our executive leadership team directed us to create a better experience for our people. The goals were faster shipping, onsite inventory, improved accessibility and a better selection of items more relevant to current campaigns and events.
By bringing our company store in-house, my team delivered. The work included developing an overall retail strategy, building an external website and collaborating with our comms and social teams to advertise. After a year of consistent success, we were able to open a storefront on our corporate campus.
Results + Impact
The Scroll Shop is a self-sustaining service for our people that contributes to company culture and employee morale.
In the first year of its operation, The Scroll Shop produced seven times the sales of the previous company store, contributing to an upswing in overall internal and external brand engagement
In subsequent years, sales have continued to increase, reaching over $350,000 so far this year.
Project Feedback
"[Shelby] took the lead on major projects like The Print Shop and The Scroll Shop that have benefitted the entire enterprise. These projects and her work in creating the Brand Compliance communication channel have added more work to her plate, but she maintains a positive attitude about all of it because she knows it will benefit her team, the marketing team and the company as a whole in the end."
"[Shelby] was an integral part of setting up the company store and its inventory with Office Services and Procurement."
"The amount of time and work that [Shelby] has put into the Brand Compliance work, The Print Shop and The Scroll Shop, working on improving our process and relationship with internal communications, the close relationship she has developed with Procurement and Office Services are all due to the initiative she takes with problem solving and finding solutions."