How Flxpoint Simplifies Multi-Source Fulfillment for Modern Brands like Kenneth Cole
Introduction
When you’re managing 30+ strategic partners and countless SKUs across multiple warehouses, the back-end complexity can quickly become overwhelming. That’s exactly the challenge Kenneth Cole faced.
The iconic American fashion brand(Kenneth Cole) recently transformed their ecommerce operations by implementing a solution that brought control, visibility, and efficiency to their multi-source fulfillment model.
Let’s explore how Kenneth Cole overcame these challenges and what lessons other multi-source retailers can apply to their own operations.
The Real Cost of Losing Brand Visibility
As Head of DTC Ecommerce and Marketplace Partners at Kenneth Cole, Mitul Patel faced a common but significant challenge: How do you maintain brand control when your products ship from dozens of different locations?
A customer ordering from kennethcole.com might trigger fulfillment from multiple partners. “You could purchase a handbag, a pair of footwear, and a piece of luggage, and that would be three different Strategic Partners shipping out from different locations,” says Patel
With kennethcole.com serving as their primary retail storefront due to limited physical stores, brand consistency became particularly difficult when multiple partners handled different aspects of the customer experience.
In the past, Kenneth Cole worked with a third-party ecommerce company. But over time, they noticed a concerning loss of brand control. Their tech stack couldn’t support the kind of visibility, speed, and flexibility they needed to scale.
This complexity created several pain points:
- Limited inventory visibility across Strategic Partners
- Slow order processing, often bottlenecked by outdated EDI connections
- Lack of control over fulfillment timelines and customer experience
- Inability to offer advanced features like pre-orders
- No consolidated view of product bundling or cross-sell data
Why Kenneth Cole Chose Flxpoint
After experiencing the limitations of outsourcing their ecommerce operations to a third party, Kenneth Cole knew they needed a more flexible solution that would integrate with their Shopify Plus storefront while connecting their network of partners.
“We needed something where we could integrate partners, licensees, and warehouses as we grow and scale,” says Patel. “Our previous setup involved orders going through multiple systems before reaching the warehouse, adding unnecessary delays.”
The team evaluated several options but ultimately chose Flxpoint for its:
- Flexible connection options beyond traditional EDI
- Intuitive interface that didn’t require specialized EDI knowledge
- Ability to quickly onboard new partners without lengthy testing cycles
- Comprehensive reporting and visibility features
- Seamless integration with Shopify Plus
A Smooth Implementation Journey From Traditional System to Flxpoint
The transition to a new system is often where projects stall, but Kenneth Cole found the implementation process surprisingly smooth.
“The onboarding specialist (Ryan Garcia) worked directly with each individual partner,” Patel notes. “She functioned as both the project manager handling all integrations and as a teacher training our team to manage the system independently.”
This hands-on approach meant Kenneth Cole could:
- Get partners up and running quickly
- Use temporary file-based connections while formal EDI testing continued
- Learn to manage the system themselves for future partner additions
- Address issues promptly without lengthy support tickets
The Real Results Kenneth Cole Noticed
Since implementing Flxpoint, Kenneth Cole has achieved several significant improvements:
Orders Shipped Faster Than Ever
“Previously, orders went through multiple systems before reaching the warehouse. Now, orders placed before 2 PM Eastern typically ship the same day,” says Patel.
Seeing Every Product in Every Warehouse
The team can now see inventory levels across all partners, allowing them to make smarter decisions about marketing spend and restock timing.
“We can actually see when we’re running low on common sizes like 8, 9, 10, and 11 in footwear,” explains Patel. “Instead of wasting marketing dollars driving traffic to products with limited availability, we can adjust our strategy or contact partners about restocking.”
New Business Capabilities
Perhaps most importantly, Kenneth Cole gained new capabilities they simply couldn’t offer before:
“We launched women’s apparel after many years and did official pre-orders for the first time,” Patel shares. “We were able to hold orders within the system until inventory arrived, then route them appropriately. This allowed us to accept orders for items that were still in production or transit.”
Operational Insights
The platform also provides valuable data for business decisions:
“I can show our CFO how orders are divided between warehouses and identify opportunities to create shipping efficiencies,” says Patel. “If certain products frequently sell together, we might consider bringing them into the same warehouse to reduce shipping costs.”
What’s Next for Kenneth Cole
With their fulfillment operations running smoothly, Kenneth Cole is now focused on growth initiatives:
- Expanding brand awareness to new demographic segments
- Managing high-profile collaborations like their recent Sesame Street partnership
- Creating more efficient fulfillment models
- Improving customer communications throughout the order lifecycle
“The fashion industry and customer expectations have evolved dramatically in our 40+ years,” says Patel. “Our mission is to create fashion that’s easily accessible and practical for everyday life while maintaining brand control across all channels.”
Lessons for Multi-Source Retailers
Kenneth Cole’s experience offers valuable takeaways for any brand managing multiple fulfillment sources:
- Look beyond legacy systems. Traditional EDI works but often requires specialized knowledge and limits flexibility.
- Prioritize visibility. Having clear insight into inventory and orders across all partners enables smarter business decisions.
- Maintain brand control. When working with multiple partners, maintaining consistent customer experience becomes even more crucial.
- Consider operational efficiency. With rising marketing costs, operational improvements often provide the best opportunity to improve margins.
- Don’t fear taking risks. As Patel advises, “In technology and ecommerce, you have to take risks. Test out partners, learn from the experience, and move forward.”
Is Your Business Ready for Similar Results?
If you manage multiple fulfillment sources or work with several strategic partners, you might be facing challenges similar to Kenneth Cole’s. The good news is that solutions exist to bring order to this complexity.
“We can get an order in before 2 PM Eastern and ship it the same day from most warehouses,” says Patel. “That kind of efficiency was impossible with our previous setup.”
For brands looking to maintain control while scaling operations across multiple partners, the message is clear: the right technology makes all the difference.
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