If you have a family member or know someone with a disability, you know how it can be challenging for them to do simple things. Like putting on a shoe or buttoning a shirt.
EveryHuman is an Australian-based Shopify store and blog that aims to make these challenges less so, by selling fashion and lifestyle items adapted for ease of use and in some cases, designed to ease symptoms.
“When I put on a nice pair of pants, a shirt and jacket, I feel confident and have a bounce in my step. I feel like I can take on the world. My friends with disabilities are no different.”
– Matthew Skerritt founder of EveryHuman
Matthew Skerrit left the world of PWC consulting behind to work at an aged care facility, where his experience inspired him to launch EveryHuman in late 2019. With 1 in 6 Australians, (4.4 million) living with a disability, Mr Skerritt says the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has made it easier for people with disabilities to purchase clothing with EveryHuman.
EveryHuman is more than an online store, it's a movement to inspire and educate a broader audience about true inclusivity. Their vision to empower people differently-abled to live an easier, more joyful, and expressive life is a growing reality for EveryHuman fans.
e-Commerce digital agency, Elephant Room, deliver an inclusive website experience
Matthew teamed up with Nick Kennedy, from integrated e-Commerce digital agency, Elephant Room, to create a website on Shopify with a unique user experience.
Nick and Matthew worked together to bring EveryHuman to life, “I knew what I wanted to achieve in terms of the concept,” Matthew explains, “but I leaned on the agency to guide us. For example, we don't have a standard checkout experience where the person just inputs their credit card details. We dedicate a few resources to processing those orders. It's so worthwhile!”
Nick's advice to Matthew was to take a modest approach when designing their tech stack, “Start with less, because as your business grows, your needs change.”
Clever Covid Pivot
On the subject of changing circumstances. During Covid-19, EveryHuman launched a range of IZ Adaptive's face masks, featuring a clear panel to assist lip reading for the deaf and hard of hearing. Inclusive design in action!
The Challenge: Initial Fulfilment Software unable to Ship Partial orders
When EveryHuman launched, Matthew requested that automation be built into their Shopify eCommerce platform, so that tasks could be automated in order to reduce the pressure on his lean team of 2 (sometimes 3, when his mum helped). As a result, the digital agency implemented a fulfilment automation, courier aggregator platform. Courier aggregator platforms have all the integrations required (eCommerce, couriers, inventory management), but EveryHuman required a feature that would enable them to deliver partial shipments.
As there is an established customer expectation to deliver as quickly and efficiently as possible, online retailers should have the flexibility and ability to ship partial orders (or risk losing the entire order!). For example, a customer may order 3 items, but only 2 are in stock. Partial order fulfilment allows you to send the first 2 items and send regular updates on the arrival of the 3rd. This requires creating a tracking code per item, so that the customer can receive updates on each item's arrival (whilst building their trust).
Luckily, EveryHuman found a great partner in Starshipit to help deliver partial order fulfilment.
Read more about aggregators vs multi-courier fulfilment automation in a post we wrote a while back.
The solution: Starshipit's fulfilment automation platform
To ensure limited downtime and keep orders flowing, EveryHuman had to set up Starshipit within one day and have employees happily using it the next, without skipping a beat. As Starshipit is a plug and play solution with a very supportive team, it was easy as.
EveryHuman joined Starshipit in May 2020 and Matthew even found his mom was able to use it without training, “My mom helps when it gets busy and she's not tech-savvy at all, and she easily punches out a few orders using Starshipit”.
So, the team partially fulfil orders and save more time (and money) using Starshipit's features that are designed to deliver excellent customer experiences. Features such as; displaying live rates at checkout, address validation to ensure first-time delivery, fast courier selection using a rules engine, customer branded tracking notifications to keep customers informed, and a self-return label generator for easy returns.
Matthew also identified why it's important for retailers to offer choice at checkout, “Using one courier for all your orders, you tend to get better rates, but it's important to have at least one other option to diversify your shipping offering for customers. For example, this Black Friday, if you have issues with one courier, you must have another option.”
Let's look at the Starshipit features EveryHuman use.
Setting up packaging dimensions with default setting saves the team hours having to choose the correct package every single time.
Based on the above packaging dimensions the team use the Rules Engine to auto select Sendle or Australia Post, according to the following criteria:
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Express services
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Least cost routing
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Cheapest courier for non-urgent deliveries
EveryHuman are focused on building the brand to increase long-term brand equity. Sending branded tracking updates along the post-purchase journey is a great way to build brand loyalty and share content.
“Sending tracking data emails to customers is helpful. I was nervous about over sending, but I think the more email or SMS delivery updates sent, the better. People love to hear from you when a parcel is on the way.”
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Your order has shipped!
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Order arrives today!
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Your order is delivered!
The outcome:
Matthew and his team have seen huge benefits since implementing Starshipit, “Because my time is not spent managing the day-to-day of shipping and fulfilment, I have time to focus on growing the business through greater choice and creating awareness.”
Starshipit charges a set subscription fee, which offers merchants real value.
“If you're paying a flat fee subscription you know the cost benefit is definitely up there”
– Matthew Skerrit, founder of EveryHuman
“There are some amazing customer stories. We have parents writing to us saying they're literally crying while they're emailing, because their 25-year-old son is finally able to put his shoes on for himself. That's cool, it's life changing.”
EVERYHUMAN HAS BIG NEWS
on the horizon, so stay tuned!
Explore the benefits of multi-courier fulfilment automation and deliver excellent customer experiences, Contact a member of our Starshipit Success Team or start your free trial right now.