Wherehouse is planning to set up more than 2,500 warehouses in 20 cities of India and will soon expand to Bengaluru and Mumbai with the launch of its 12 hour fulfilment service. The announcement comes at a time when the D 2 C market in India is at an an all time high in competition when it comes to fulfilment and delivery capabilities, so it is paving the way for a huge market penetration by logistics platforms.
Wherehouse said it has used funding to expand its platform with more than 2,500 warehouses in 20 plus cities and has seen a strong response from Tier 2 cities and growth of 5 X in order volumes during the festive season. The Delhi-based start-up recently raised seed-funding from Better Capital, Java Capital, Titan Capital Snapdeal founders First Cheque, and Upsparks.
In today's competitive business landscape, speed is of essence, according to Vaibhav Chawla, co-founder of Wherehouse. D 2 C brands are trying to give their customers a superlative experience.
We have set up a network of hybrid warehouses closer to customer clusters to deliver 12 hour fulfilment services. We are using a proprietary distribution engine to deliver faster. The layer of technology allows Wherehouse to keep an eye on inventory mapping and distribution and bring the fulfilment cost under control, allowing brands to have healthier gross margins while delivering faster. Chawla said that the approach is different from conventional hub-spoke or dark store models.
The business model of Wherehouse revolves around placing inventories across a wide network of flexible warehouses and offering last-mile connectivity to deliver their products to customers in the shortest possible time. The warehouses allow for superior quality control and operational procedures that make the experience more personal and delightful for the brands and end customers, and are driven by proprietary technology. The growth infrastructure allows them to optimize the efficiency of their supply chain, while delivering a superior customer experience with a presence near customer clusters, according to a company statement.