The self-service and dropship capabilities Storbie offer were just the solution Port Macquarie Veterinary Hospital needed to ease its storage issues and to help increase overall practice efficiency.
The clinic’s online shop with Storbie launched in December 2022. Providing an alternative, hands-free route for customers to order products has helped them to free up storage space and reduce administration time managing customer orders. This streamlining has allowed the practice staff to do more of what matters most – provide excellent care for their pet patients.
Inundated by kibble
Reception and waiting areas can become cluttered when combining pamphlets, pet food products, and accessories. Not to mention that behind-the-scenes dog food bags end up stacked at the end of one room, parcels hang on the backs of doors, and boxes of rarely sold products gather dust at the far end of the shelves. Things can get complicated.
When speaking with the Port Macquarie Veterinary Hospital Practice Manager, Dawn, this scenario was all too familiar. A huge pain point for the clinic was the lack of storage space – especially when 10-kilogram bags of dog food are involved. The team would often order large bags of food for pets that require special diets and then store it in the clinic until it was collected. Time until collection could span weeks or simply not happen at all. Either way, this process took time and space away from the clinic.
Forcing the change
Port Macquarie Veterinary Hospital strongly focus on working with the latest available technologies in all aspects of their clinic. For Dawn and the team, an online shop was the logical next step toward their ultimate goal of having the best possible tools and technology available for staff and patients. It also conveniently provides more accessible services and widens the clinic's community.
“It’s just the way of the future”
With some simple operational changes, the online shop quickly integrated into the clinic’s workflow.
- Firstly, the clinic stopped ordering non-stocked products from wholesalers. Instead, they now direct customers to order from their online shop.
- Secondly, the clinic promotes its website in the clinic. Staff adoption was encouraged. The team are empowered to promote the online shop to in-clinic customers and highlight features such as Storbie’s hassle-free Subscription order feature, where products are delivered automatically to customers at their selected frequency. In-store marketing is also on display to customers, so everyone visiting the clinic knows online ordering is an option for them.
Because there is an option to order outside of opening hours, it has curbed those regular last-minute customer visits at clinic closing time and removed a barrier to buying products from Port Vet.
The result
The best part is the orders are dropshipped from the wholesaler directly to the consumer, so the clinic is not required to handle any products or fulfil online orders. There are fewer giant food bags taking up space, giving a great impression to the clinic’s clients. Customer-facing areas can be clutter-free to avoid detracting from the furnishings and exceptional customer experience. The practice can operate with a more efficient system where most products sold don't require storage at the clinic.
“We found it works really well, so we’re really happy.”
Reduced time managing stock, orders, and storage saves time and money. It allows staff and patients to go home earlier by following time-efficient operations and can lead to reduced stress for practice staff as they go about their daily tasks.