Something Different Wholesale's Transformation

Founded in 1999 by Managing Director Jane Wallace-Jones, SDW started its journey as a market stall trader, specialising in giftware. Recognising the need to differentiate early on and ensure the uniqueness of their products, SDW design their own products and control their supply chain, sourcing directly from Asia and producing some of their range in the UK. Embracing technology, they adopted an eCommerce-first approach, even before it became mainstream.

SDW has built a strong brand by championing alternative and niche markets, specialising in categories like gothic and wellbeing. By pursuing a deliberate B2B strategy, they support a wide spectrum of retailers, from big corporations to independent sellers and international distributors.

With a surge in online orders, coupled with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, requests from sellers for a comprehensive dropshipping service skyrocketed. SDW initially employed an in-house solution with manual processes, but it became evident that automation was essential to maintain profitability and efficiency, particularly given the typically low order values of giftware items.

SDW explored viable business models for dropshipping and discovered the Avasam platform. Avasam’s unique platform offers a user-friendly interface and a technology stack that automates the entire order process, from payment reconciliation to stock syncing and returns and refunds.

The partnership with Avasam Enterprise enables SDW to harness the full capabilities of the platform, customising and white-labelling it for their specific needs with the launch of https://www.somethingdifferentconnect.co.uk/.  They can now list their entire product inventory, synchronise it with their stock management system, and onboard sellers from their customer base to source, list and dropship on their own online channels. This opens up new opportunities for sellers to expand their range of giftware items without the need for additional capital investment in inventory or warehousing space.

Avasam provides an additional channel for SDW, essential as the eCommerce environment becomes more competitive and traditional wholesaling transitions to Dropshipping as a service. By automating payments and manual operations, SDW ensures ROI on lower average transaction values (ATV) is achieved, boosting efficiency as the business scales.

Challenges naturally arise when introducing new concepts and technologies. In the case of SDW’s partnership with Avasam, some sellers, accustomed to traditional retail channels, required support to set up and scale their online operations. SDW is focused on addressing these challenges, particularly in the areas of seller profiles, pricing and stock levels.