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SmartRoutes > Case Studies > Transforming Home Delivery Operations: A Case Study of Le Patissier
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Transforming Home Delivery Operations: A Case Study of Le Patissier

Technology Category
  • Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
  • Networks & Connectivity - Gateways
Applicable Industries
  • Retail
  • Transportation
Applicable Functions
  • Logistics & Transportation
  • Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
  • Last Mile Delivery
  • Vehicle Telematics
Services
  • Testing & Certification
The Challenge
Le Patissier, an award-winning patisserie business based in Dublin, Ireland, faced a significant challenge when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The lockdown led to a loss of almost 90% of their regular customers as public gatherings ceased and events were cancelled. They were left with only 2 wholesale clients, forcing them to pivot to home delivery routing for the consumer market. The company had plans to set up an online store, but it was still in the early stages of development. They quickly built a temporary online shop and began offering a collection service. However, as they promoted their online store and home-delivery service, demand began to increase. They had two delivery vans and one driver, and as the volume of orders increased, they had to lease a third van. This success brought new challenges, as they were spending 3-4 hours every evening planning the driver’s routes for the next day and dealing with increased customer enquiries.
About The Customer
Le Patissier is an award-winning patisserie business based in Dublin, Ireland. The business is made up of a team of talented pastry chefs led by chef and owner Robert Bullock. They were creating in excess of two million handmade desserts and patisserie annually, working with leading hotel groups, catering companies, food service, retail and wedding venues throughout Leinster. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to pivot to home delivery routing for the consumer market. They quickly built a temporary online shop and began offering a collection service. As they promoted their online store and home-delivery service, demand began to increase, leading to new logistical challenges.
The Solution
Le Patissier turned to SmartRoutes' delivery route planner to solve their logistics problem. They were able to extract customer delivery data from their online store and upload it into SmartRoutes, which allowed them to quickly and efficiently build a route plan for each van, saving them several hours of work each day. They were also able to maximize the number of deliveries per van with the technology, driving more sales. SmartRoutes offered a free trial for one week to test the software and helped them set up the routes. Le Patissier also used SmartRoutes' live tracking and real-time ETAs, which reduced the number of customer queries received on the day of delivery by almost 80%. The ability to see where each vehicle was in real-time meant they were able to give customers instant and honest updates when requested. SmartRoutes also provided full support and flexibility to scale according to the changing landscape.
Operational Impact
  • Since onboarding with SmartRoutes, Le Patissier has put a structured and robust Delivery Route Planning solution in place. They now have the ability to serve the maximum number of home deliveries possible, while giving their full attention to the products and business that has made them successful. They saw a significant reduction in time spent planning routes and answering customer queries. This removed the need to hire an extra employee part-time. Le Patissier now has the flexibility of amending the settings in SmartRoutes to adjust the volume of deliveries dependent on the traffic which changes with the fluctuating lockdown situation. This ensures that they can maximize the deliveries while ensuring they keep the drivers to their working hours. In addition, they also brought visibility to their delivery operations and made life easier and more predictable for their drivers.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Time spent route planning reduced by 3 hours per day
  • Customer queries reduced by 80%
  • Delivery capacity increased without increasing driver hours

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