National consumer electronics retailer success story
Every company has unique challenges in packaging and shipping their products. Best Buy, a national consumer electronics retailer, is no different.
Best Buy approached Hughes Enterprises about 15 years ago to find a solution for shipping television sets. We developed repack kits so they could sell refurbished televisions and floor models that no longer had their original packaging. These kits also worked for repair services in which a TV set would be picked up at a customer’s home, taken to a Geek Squad center for repairs, and brought pack to the customer. Our custom solutions for keeping televisions safe during transport and shipping built the trust we needed to grow our partnership with Best Buy.
The partnership evolved about 10 years ago when Best Buy wanted to tackle safer, more efficient ways for material handling in nearly 1,000 stores, distribution centers and redistribution centers. Keep reading to find out how we created custom solutions for all of their locations from our headquarters in Pennsylvania.
Challenges
Best Buy locations across the country were in need of a few specific solutions to improve material handling. The scenarios for these included the following:
- When a customer purchased a television, it needed to be safely transported from the back of the store to their vehicle. The hand trucks they were using frequently damaged TVs since the product could not lie flat while being transported.
- Best Buy’s recycling initiative allowed customers to drop off old CRT computer monitors and television sets. Since these items are so heavy, the stores needed a cart that would be able to handle the weight.
- Shipping small parcels via FedEx and US Postal was becoming expensive. They had a high volume of corrugated cartons being mailed from ship-from-store locations, which added up in cost for Best Buy and their customers.
Solutions
At Hughes, we dug into the challenges Best Buy had to create custom solutions that would work for all of their stores and distribution centers.
We started with the hand truck issue. To safely transport televisions from the back of the store to the front, we engineered a cart from the ground up. The rails on it allow a TV to sit upright while being transported for complete safety and security. We also designed a high-weight capacity cart to be used for their recycling initiative.
Next, we worked on improving the packages coming out of ship-from-store locations and distribution centers. We helped Best Buy switch from corrugated cartons to custom bubble mailers for shipping small parcels. We also supplied them with water-activated tape and custom printed tape for all of their packages.
Results
Hughes was able to help Best Buy on many levels with custom solutions that got them the results they were looking for.
We tackled the unsafe hand truck issue with proprietary, hand-engineered carts to reduce the amount of damage caused to products. Best Buy is now able to ensure the safety of a customer’s fragile, expensive television after making their purchase.
The brand can also ensure the safety and security of items purchased online thanks to security tape and custom bubble mailers. Not only does using custom mailers increase brand awareness, but it also lessens shipping costs. With a reduced DIM weight, Best Buy can save themselves and their customers some money on shipping.
We are able to supply nearly a thousand Best Buy locations across the country all from our headquarters in Pennsylvania. If you’re interested in custom packaging and shipping solutions for your business, contact the experienced consultants at Hughes Enterprises today.