Airhouse, a next-generation fulfillment platform that simplifies ecommerce operations and logistics for modern brands, plans to help thousands of direct-to-consumer U.S. brands ‘go global’ by offering simple, cost-efficient cross-border ecommerce operations through a new international partnership with SEKO Logistics (SEKO), a leading global logistics provider.
Launched in June 2020, Airhouse offers brands an intuitive software platform that powers fulfillment from factory to front door. Its software automates dozens of workflows and integrations through a customizable solution. Once connected with a brand’s ecommerce platform, Airhouse’s software evaluates store data to create a holistic view of the business and where its customers are. Brands are then matched with warehouses in Airhouse’s partner network that make the most sense to ensure inventory is shipped to the partner facility as fast as the same day. From there, as new orders come in, the entire fulfillment process is efficiently and affordably managed by Airhouse. Through this partnership with SEKO Logistics, Airhouse customers will gain access to SEKO’s best-in-class facilities and expand their operations globally with the benefit of local fulfillment costs regardless of where they’re based.
“We believe it should be easy for modern brands to get their products into the hands of customers,” says Airhouse co-founder, Kevin Gibbon, who previously founded Shyp, a consumer platform aimed at taking the pain out of shipping. “Over the past few years, a surge in ecommerce has brought us to a critical tipping point. While tools have emerged to run nearly every aspect of a consumer product business, how those products actually get to customers hasn’t kept pace. The traditional fulfillment format does not apply to modern businesses, so it’s time for one that does. Partnering with a global 3PL like SEKO is exciting for us and the smaller, emerging brands we’re working with because SEKO is one of the best direct-to-consumer 3PLs in the world. Our customers will now benefit from access to best-in-class, modern warehouses across the globe that have historically been out of reach due to high order minimums. We’re leveling the playing field for these emerging brands to access such a high-quality partner.”
Joining forces with SEKO is Airhouse’s biggest-ever 3PL partnership and the connection offers unlimited scope for growth for all parties, Gibbon added. Ultimately, Airhouse clients will have access to SEKO’s millions of square feet of warehousing in Europe and Asia as well as in North America. “For small and fast-growing brands, working with traditional 3PLs is extremely time-consuming and takes up a lot of operational resources. Airhouse solves for the host of inefficiencies brands traditionally face: outdated and inefficient software, inconsistent and non-transparent pricing, poor and mismanaged quality control, and a fractured and unscalable fulfillment process. And the benefits aren’t limited to our customers—our partners benefit from our platform as well. For SEKO, we streamline the process of serving these types of ambitious, emerging customers, which can range from DTC start-ups to businesses doing up to $50 million in annual revenues.”
Airhouse is commencing its international partnership with SEKO in the United Kingdom, likely then to be followed by other prime ecommerce markets in Europe and Asia. As the partnership grows, Airhouse believes its entrepreneurial brands will look for growth opportunities across SEKO’s 40-country global network.
“What we’ve learned since SEKO became one of the first entrants in the increasingly global ecommerce fulfillment market back in 2011 is that a lot of brands grow extremely quickly. The beauty of Airhouse and SEKO is that we allow brands to focus on what they do best while they leverage our core technology, logistics, and fulfillment strengths,” added David Emerson, Senior Vice President of SEKO Ecommerce. “The market potential is vast. Airhouse estimates that only 10-15% of the thousands of brands it is working with are shipping internationally. Together, we are going to empower them to grow globally. It will allow UK customers to buy from these predominantly US based brands as if they were based in the UK because their shipping prices will be significantly lower.”
Kevin Gibbon agrees: “Instead of smaller brands having to graduate to become a customer of a quality global logistics player like SEKO, they can start this relationship on day one through Airhouse. Brands will now be in a position to charge local shipping rates on international orders—bringing shipping costs down from as much as $40 to as little as $5. And their customers won’t be stuck waiting for an international item to cross customs. Working alongside SEKO means our brands’ products can be shipped locally and arrive in as soon as 1-2 days.”
