Fashion
Tom’s Trunks
How we’ve helped Tom’s Trunks secure 204% YoY growth.
The inspiring story of Tom’s Trunks began back in 2014.
It was then that Tom Holmes, Founder of Tom’s Trunks, fell in love with Kenyan Kikoy and the vibrant colours and textures of East Africa. Before leaving Kenya, he bought a few pairs of shorts to bring home and sell to friends and family. At just 14 years old, the entrepreneurial spirit was already with him.
Desiring to share his newfound love with the world, Tom founded Tom’s Trunks shortly after returning from his trip to Kenya. His ambition was to create the go-to brand for loungewear by making quality products from natural materials, all with sustainability at the forefront.
As the Founder, Ambassador, and Creative Mind behind the brand, Tom strongly believes in calm and wellbeing, as well as ethical business practices. Tom’s Trunks started on the foundations of empowering young people, and they continue to stand up for what they believe to be the best interests of both people and the planet.
Today, Tom remains in the vanguard of the brand, embodying the values and vision of Tom’s Trunks and acting as a passionate advocate for their products and mission.
Tom’s Trunks and J&J
After several years of consecutive growth, it became clear that Tom’s Trunks would be unable to meet their ambitious targets without rethinking their fulfilment solution. While in-house fulfilment worked for them to begin with, their one-person pick and pack team became a bottleneck.
Rather than scale up internally, Tom decided to look into an outsourced solution. After speaking with several 3PLs, Tom’s Trunks ultimately went with J&J for three reasons.
Why did Tom’s Trunks choose J&J?
Accessible technology
Firstly, they were impressed with the technology, and particularly the accessible nature of ControlPort™, and the ease of connecting our platform to their online store.
Whilst we designed ControlPort™ to provide powerful tools, information, and functionality, we have been careful to ensure that users don’t need to be data experts to glean insightful information or actionable insights. J&J believes in Total Visibility for all, whether you’re a growing start-up or a multinational enterprise.
I don’t know how things would work in a world without ControlPort™
Freddie Northcott, Operations Manager, Tom’s Trunks
Dedicated Client Services
Furthermore, Tom’s Trunks were pleased to find the level of support J&J clients receive. Tom’s Trunks enjoy one-to-one support from their Account Manager, Laurie, who conducts reviews and account health checks, and acts as their direct contact.
Our Client Services Team are on hand to deal with day-to-day enquiries and support, whereas Account Managers like Laurie work closely with our clients to ensure they’re getting the most value out of our services and technology.
Growth
204%
Year-on-year growth
Value
25%
Increased average order value
Orders
10k+
Orders shipped per month
J&J have all we could ask for from an account management perspective. Our Account Manager provides a highly personal experience and is always there for us.
Freddie Northcott, Operations Manager, Tom’s Trunks
Stability and scale
Another key differentiator for J&J was the stability and scale a 3PL of our size can provide. While they recognised the industry has many disruptors and a plethora of options to go with, they felt that many of the 3PLs they spoke to didn’t give them the same confidence as J&J. As a newcomer to the world of outsourced fulfilment, confidence was key.
Furthermore, with ambitious growth plans, Tom’s Trunks needed a partner that they wouldn’t outgrow. As Tom himself put it: “When growing so much ourselves, we could not have afforded for our 3PL to go bust!”
And, with J&J’s global network of fulfilment centres, Tom’s Trunks have the flexibility to scale up internationally when they feel the time is right.
How we’ve helped Tom’s Trunks See More, Sell More, and Grow More
We’ve been working with Tom’s Trunks for more than 3 years, and in that time, they have exploded in popularity. From 30 orders per day to 300, Tom’s Trunks have grown by an average of 204% YoY.
That’s a testament to their fantastic founder-led brand and a genuine commitment to quality and the customer experience. That said, here’s how we’ve supported Tom’s Trunks throughout their inspiring success story.
They can focus on other areas of the business
In-house fulfilment can be stressful and take up a lot of time and energy. SMEs often don’t have the resources to hire an internal team, especially when it comes to resourcing it in an optimal way.
By taking fulfilment off their hands, Tom’s Trunks have been able to switch their focus to smart marketing, developing new and exciting product offerings, pursuing sustainability, and defining their brand. Such activities would have been much harder to do with the added pressure of fulfilling orders in-house.
Better customer experiences, domestically and internationally
With our industry expertise, refined processes and smart technology, we help Tom’s Trunks customers get their orders in record time and in pristine condition. All orders made before 8pm qualify for next-day delivery, ensuring a fast and reliable service every time.
We’ve also worked with Tom’s Trunks to implement FedEx FIC for international orders. The service gives them fast, cost-effective shipping to their large US customer base, often rivalling the efficiency of domestic US shipping.
Total Visibility on the day-to-day
ControlPort™ provides a one-stop order tracking dashboard that Tom’s Trunks use on a daily basis. Through the dashboard, they can see exactly where each of their orders is in the fulfilment process, at a glance.
Whether it’s tracking new goods arriving at the fulfilment centre or the flow of orders being dispatched that day, everything is clearly presented and flagged when issues that need attention arise. These notifications enable Tom’s Trunks to tackle issues before they become customer problems, and enable them to minimise the risk of delays.
New members of our team never struggle to pick up ControlPort™ because it’s designed for humans and is incredibly client-focused.
Freddie Northcott, Operations Manager, Tom’s Trunks
What’s next for Tom’s Trunks?
Looking ahead, Tom’s Trunks want to continue their incredible rate of growth by doubling-down on what’s worked for them so far. That includes a steady release of fresh, exciting loungewear, all while being mindful of how their business impacts the world both environmentally and socially.
They’re also in the early stages of exploring further internationalisation, particularly around how they can make their returns easier and more sustainable for overseas customers. We’re looking forward to supporting Tom’s Trunks in any way we can as they continue along this admirable trajectory.