Mango is an international fashion company based in Spain. The name underlines the goal to be as popular and well-known all over the world as the fruit itself. Today, in addition to its retail business in over 109 countries, the company is also strong in e-commerce with its own web store and on Zalando’s Marketplace. As a full-service e-commerce provider, MS Direct arranged the complex interplay of all stages from ordering to delivery of the package and returns processing.
Mango opened its first store in the center of Barcelona in 1984. Only a year later, the fire had five more stores in the city. A success story that every retailer would like to see. Today, Mango has a 10,000 m2 design center at its headquarters – the largest in Europe. Today, however, the textile giant generates only about 17 percent of its sales in its own country. Mango generates the remainder abroad – a large part of which is also generated via well-known online marketplaces, such as Zalando. Mango also quickly recognized Switzerland, with its high purchasing power and second-largest GDP per capita, as an attractive sales market in Europe. But anyone wanting to do e-commerce in the Alpine country quickly faces a few striking barriers to entry: Customs clearance, transport, returns, logistics, fiscal representation and coordination with the authorities must all mesh efficiently and smoothly.
The challenge.
Mango was looking for a full-service provider with a delivery solution and local returns processing for the handling of its own web store Mango.com and for part of the Zalando orders. According to the Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Zalando, Mango customers must have their shipments delivered within 48 hours and be relieved as quickly as possible in the event of a return. So the delivery solution had to be reliable and scalable for Mango to deliver on their delivery promise to their customers. So within two days, a parcel has to travel the 850 km from the central warehouse in Spain to Switzerland, be exported from Spain and imported into Switzerland, and be handed over to a last-mile carrier for final delivery. In the event of a return, it had to be checked as quickly as possible, refunded to the customer and returned to Spain via the same transport route.
- Parcel delivery from Spain to Switzerland within 48h
- Customs clearance and VAT registration for Spain and Switzerland
- Fastest possible returns processing for customer relief
- Full cost transparency with maximum flexibility
- Technical integration and interface connection
"Thanks to the good cooperation with MS Direct and their logistics and returns services, we are able to offer a better shopping experience to our customers in Switzerland."
Helena Arlandis Diez, E-Commerce Distribution Manager
The Solution.
MS Direct developed an efficient and scalable delivery solution for Mango with local returns processing at a competitive price. The process includes a daily collection of goods. Packages for Swiss customers are loaded onto a van at Mango’s central warehouse in the evening and presented for export customs clearance. Overnight, the truck travels the distance of 850 km and reaches Switzerland the following morning. The goods are cleared through customs near the Swiss Post parcel hub in Daillens (VD), from where they are finally handed over to the last-mile carrier. The latter delivers the parcels to the end customer by priority shipping. This procedure ensures that the Swiss customer receives his package from Mango within 48 hours – even on Saturdays.
For returns processing, Mango now has a Swiss sub-address at MS Direct in Muttenz, where parcels are opened and checked and qualified according to predefined criteria. Overnight, Mango receives all information about the returned products so that a refund can be arranged to the customer as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, MS Direct collects the returned items and organizes a twice-weekly return shipment to Mango’s central warehouse in Barcelona – customs reimbursement and proof of exempt re-importation in Spain included.
An example of how the delivery and returns process works:
- Organization and coordination of carrier management
- Integration into the parcel hub of Swiss Post
- Digital export and import customs clearance (Spain and Switzerland)
- Returns processing at a Swiss location
The Benefits.
In its collaboration with Mango, MS Direct showed how efficient full service can be in cross-border e-commerce. From the warehouse to the customer across national borders and back again, all processes are optimally coordinated. Thanks to a scalable logistics solution, peaks can also be intercepted and handled. And the single point of contact in Switzerland ensures fast and efficient transfer to Swiss Post. Finally, customers also benefit from the efficient processes: Their order arrives at their home in just two days and, in the event of a return, they receive notification of the refund in the shortest possible time. Fast, efficient, customer-friendly.
- Transport of goods to the Swiss customer in only 48 hours
- No customs and VAT duties thanks to holistic inclusivity
- Prompt customer relief through local returns management
- Transparent pricing from smallest quantities to bulk goods
Do you also want to open new European markets with customs border? Then do what Mango does and rely on our cross-border solutions. We will be happy to advise you personally, our sales team will be happy to find the right solution for you.