HOUZE

How HOUZE built a synergetic partnership with J&T Express to meet growing consumer demand

Local homeware brand HOUZE prides itself on creating versatile and functional products that simplifies everyday living. So, when the pandemic struck in 2020 and people started spending more time at home – sprucing up their house and browsing online for affordable options – HOUZE saw its number of orders surge by nearly three times. It was around this time that Brien Chua, the founder of HOUZE, went in search of a reliable logistics provider that could help them ride this wave and grow. That was the start of their partnership with J&T Express and they have not looked back since.

Overcoming logistic challenges with a trusted partner

HOUZE is no stranger to the logistic challenges that comes with running an e-commerce business. With over 12 categories of products from storage boxes to appliances on their website, HOUZE’s customers usually purchase a wide range of products especially big-ticket items online to enjoy the convenience of having them delivered to their doorstep. However, in today’s era of instant gratification, long delivery lead time was a key hurdle when it came to meeting customer expectations.

Its sister brand, Table Matters, a company specializing in durable tableware pieces, faces an even tricker situation. As Table Matters mainly sells fragile items, they encountered delivery issues with other logistics providers, where 20% of their shipped parcels faced breakages during transport.

“When the pandemic pushed more consumers to shop online, it became evident that improving our e-commerce delivery experience will be critical,” Brien shared. To meet the increase in demand and improve their customer service, Brien eventually decided to engage J&T Express as the delivery partner for HOUZE and Table Matters.

It has been more than two years since the start of their partnership, and Table Matters has seen a significant 600% improvement in parcel breakage rate – an improvement that testifies to J&T Express’ commitment to providing consistent quality in deliveries.

Working together to pass the ‘litmus test’ of mega e-commerce sales

Being a part of the now saturated e-commerce market in Singapore, e-commerce campaigns are major events for HOUZE. In anticipation of such peak periods, HOUZE works together with J&T Express to discuss forecasted delivery volumes, logistics arrangements and operational processes. Such a collaborative process enables J&T Express to ramp up operations in parallel with the spike in demand, increasing their fleet capacity and manpower.

Brien said, “We are thankful to have found a trusted partner in J&T Express, who has played a key role in enabling us to meet growing consumer demands, be it during the peak of the pandemic or annual year-end shopping season. The team at J&T Express truly goes the extra mile to ensure our customers receive their packages in a timely manner, and their reliability as a logistics partner is also what gives us confidence to tap on their international market services in the future.”

Seeing the potential for greater synergies from this partnership, Brien decided to set up his office next to J&T Express’ warehouse to expedite the turnaround time for deliveries. With this strategic decision, HOUZE was able to further increase delivery efficiency, even allowing some customers to receive their items earlier than expected.

Growing together as a team

Since its founding in 2017 as an e-commerce business, HOUZE has quickly expanded to open two physical outlets in Singapore. Now that their operations in Singapore is taking flight, Brien is looking to expand the business into international markets such as Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, where they can leverage on J&T Express’ global network in these regions to support their growth.

“We are excited to be a part of HOUZE’s journey to grow and scale their business. Every e-commerce business is unique in its needs, so it’s our mission to help our customers expand their footprint without having to worry about last mile deliveries,” said Peter Cai, CEO of J&T Express Singapore.