Fashion
Rule 28
Switching fulfillment up a gear for a high-performance cycling brand.
Rule 28 are a high-performance cycling apparel brand that help some of the UK’s leading cyclists gain a competitive edge on the track. As one of the only performance cycling brands to publish R&D findings for every aero product they sell, Rule 28 are trusted by cyclists across the world.
Rule 28’s Founder, Sam Calder, originally started developing cycling apparel only for himself and his friends, but the gear quickly caught the attention of athletes outside of his inner circle.
Almost overnight, the project transformed from personal hobby to side hustle, and it didn’t take long for Rule 28 to become a full-fledged business.
The challenge
When first starting out, Rule 28 were able to fulfil orders in-house. But as the side hustle started growing into something bigger, it became apparent that juggling rigorous product development and testing with fulfilling daily orders was extremely difficult to manage.
Rule 28’s product development cycle is significantly more time-consuming than the average eCommerce brand. Each item is tested many times on an elite rider, with results measured and improved upon several times before results are published and the product becomes available to customers.
Sam needed to spend as much time as possible developing and refining his products, and so approached J&J Global Fulfilment for support with the fulfillment side of his business.
Before J&J, we were spending half a day checking and shipping out orders.
Sam Calder, Founder
What we delivered
Quick set up
As Rule 28 are in the business of speed, it was only fitting that we were able to get them set up with us faster than you can say ‘Tour de France’. Okay, maybe not that quickly, but we had them all set up and ready to go pretty fast.
After first enquiring through our website, Sam got on a call with one of our fulfillment specialists the very next day, where he received a demo of our fulfillment software.
After deciding to go ahead with us, Sam set up ControlPort from his end in less than an hour, and just like that he was ready to ship his goods over to our fulfillment center.
Adding new SKUs is really quick and simple to get done, and customer support is there for whatever else you might need.
Sam Calder, Founder
Enabling growth
When Rule 28 first joined J&J, they had 4 flagship SKUs that were in need of fulfillment. Since then, Rule 28 have developed hundreds of new products, and now hold almost 300 SKUs in our fulfillment centers.
Thanks to our award-winning inventory management platform, ControlPort™, Rule 28 have been able to quickly and easily add new SKUs as necessary, allowing us to seamlessly track, store, and fulfil any new products that come to our fulfillment centers.
Rule 28 are able to rest easy knowing that we have the capacity to scale with them, as their business continues to reach new heights.
J&J are very quick to respond to things. When I raise an issue with them, I know it’s going to get seen to right away.
Sam Calder, Founder
Inventory management
With ControlPort™, Rule 28 are able to ensure they never go out of stock. They make significant use of ControlPort’s in-built stock calculator.
This helpful tool tracks the current rate of sale for each SKU and the number of units left in stock, and calculates the estimated number of days the SKU will remain in stock.
With this, Rule 28 are able to replenish stock at the right time, ensuring that they’re not overpaying for storage they don’t need, while always having enough inventory available to meet demand.
The economies of scale that J&J can provide is really, really beneficial.
Sam Calder, Founder
Next steps for Rule 28
Sam’s goal for the future is pretty simple; to make things even bigger, even better, than they are now.
This comes in the form of a new venture into bespoke apparel for cycling clubs and groups, and the possibility of moving stock over to one of our US fulfillment centers to help reach new customers across the pond.