“We can fulfill our delivery promises more reliably”

About ScalaXL.nl

Albert Lok started as an intern at Scala XL in 2016 and now works as an operations manager. At the time, the company consisted of separate webshops. In 2019, all webshops were merged under one name: Scala XL. Albert has experienced the entire journey from a ‘small attic-based webshop’ to the large-scale online store with a sizable warehouse that it is today.

We visited Scala XL’s warehouse in Assen, where Albert welcomed us and gave us a tour. ‘We moved into this facility in January 2020, and we now have between 3,000 and 4,000 products in stock. And we’re still growing.’

From multiple webshops to one domain

Scala XL transitioned from multiple domain names to a single one. ‘Managing multiple separate webshop concepts felt inefficient and was difficult to maintain. They also all operated on different systems. We decided to bring everything under one platform and present ourselves as an online department store for home and lifestyle products.’

Competing as an online department store means going up against large e-commerce players. How does Scala XL differentiate itself? ‘Our focus is on quality and service. Many companies rely on automated responses or help desks that have no knowledge of their product range. We want to ensure that when customers call us, they speak to someone who truly understands our products and can provide real assistance.’

Early adoption of warehouse software

At a certain point, Scala XL decided to implement warehouse software. ‘This actually started before Scala XL as a brand was established. When we began managing our own inventory for the webshops, we quickly realized we needed our own warehouse. That’s when the need for warehouse management software arose.’

So, it was implemented at a very early stage? ‘Yes, we had ambitious growth plans from the start, so we wanted to set things up properly right away.’

Having all information in one system is a key reason why Scala XL uses Picqer. ‘Both our customer service and warehouse teams work in Picqer because it holds all order-related data. Picqer also allows us to add notes and even tag team members, which we use frequently.’

‘Customer service relies on Picqer every day. If a customer calls asking about their order, we can quickly look it up in Picqer, check the picking list, and track the shipment using the Track & Trace code.’

Constantly optimizing warehouse layout

Scala XL is growing rapidly, which means they are constantly refining their warehouse layout. Albert explains how they manage this: ‘We have designated locations and divided the warehouse into sections. A large part consists of hand-picking shelves and small item storage. We also have larger shelving units for bulkier products and dedicated bulk storage areas. These bulk locations hold additional stock of products already available in the main warehouse, allowing us to restock efficiently.’

Because they sell many seasonal products, they need to be strategic about product placement. ‘We allocate space for seasonal items, stacking them as needed. We also use an ABC analysis to determine which products should be closest to the packing stations. Since demand shifts frequently, we update this analysis every month.’

Automating standard processes

Albert shares that they are continuously simplifying processes. For example, they use tags to assign standard box sizes to products. ‘We’ve categorized our packaging with tags in Picqer. Labels above each box indicate the correct size, so pickers instantly know which box to use for each product. This speeds up their workflow. We also use presets, allowing a picker to select a single box type and process all relevant items at once.’

They have also automated purchasing using Picqer. ‘We’ve integrated our system with key suppliers, allowing us to access their stock levels. This connects to our custom-built forecasting system, which automatically places orders with suppliers and updates Picqer so we always know what to expect.’

More reliable delivery commitments

Meeting delivery promises is crucial for customer satisfaction. ‘One major improvement for consumers is that we can now meet our delivery promises more reliably by assigning shipping methods upfront. Previously, we might advertise “order by 9 PM, delivered tomorrow,” but if it was a pallet shipment, the actual delivery could take days—leading to disappointed customers. Now, we assign carriers in advance, ensuring accurate delivery times. We see positive feedback in reviews, and customer service inquiries about delivery delays have significantly decreased.’

The future of Scala XL

Scala XL has already made great strides in professionalizing its warehouse and growing its webshop, but they have bigger plans ahead. ‘In the short term, we’re launching a self-service portal where customers can initiate returns themselves. The portal will generate return labels and create a return order in Picqer, reducing the workload for customer service. In the long run, we aim to expand internationally, with plans to launch in France, Germany, Spain, and Italy.’