Who Does Dossier Perfumes Use for Warehousing & Fulfillment?

Dossier Perfumes uses ShipBob as their primary third-party logistics (3PL) and fulfillment partner.

Introduction to Dossier Perfumes

Founded in 2018 and launching their ecommerce store in April 2019, Dossier Perfumes has positioned itself as "the perfume house for the next generation." The brand specializes in creating vegan and eco-friendly perfumes that are cruelty-free, made with high-quality, clean ingredients sourced from Grasse, France. Dossier's business model centers on offering affordable scents comparable to luxury ones without the markup, with prices starting at just $29.

What sets Dossier apart in the competitive fragrance market is their commitment to making premium fragrances accessible to everyone, not just those who can spend hundreds per bottle. Their value proposition is clear: "Craft perfumes that exceed expectations, use the same ingredients as top fragrance houses, and feature quality comparable to luxury scents – without the massive markups." Since their launch, Dossier has experienced tremendous growth, selling millions of bottles of perfume and expanding to multiple sales channels including their own Shopify store, Amazon, and nearly 4,000 Walmart retail locations nationwide.

Why Dossier Needed to Optimize Fulfillment

In the early days of Dossier, the founder was handling all aspects of fulfillment manually, including making repeated trips to the post office to ship orders. This DIY approach quickly became unsustainable as the brand gained popularity. The founder reached a breaking point where self-fulfillment was seriously compromising their quality of life and the ability to focus on growing the business.

As Dossier experienced rapid growth, several key challenges emerged:

• Scaling operations to meet increasing order volume that eventually surpassed 1 million orders
• Managing multi-channel sales across their Shopify store, Amazon, and Walmart
• Expanding internationally to serve a growing global customer base
• Maintaining fast delivery times despite increasing order complexity
• Ensuring accurate inventory tracking across multiple fulfillment locations

The breaking point came when the operational demands of fulfillment began to hinder Dossier's growth potential. They needed a logistics partner that could not only handle their current volume but also scale alongside their ambitious expansion plans.

Partnership Details and Results

Since partnering with ShipBob in 2019, Dossier has achieved remarkable growth and operational efficiency. The results speak for themselves:

• Successfully scaled to over 1 million orders with ShipBob's fulfillment network
• Expanded retail distribution to nearly 4,000 Walmart stores nationwide using ShipBob's B2B solutions
• Shipped millions of bottles of perfume since 2019
• Dramatically improved delivery times from a potential 8 days to just 1-2 business days
• Lowered shipping costs through strategic inventory placement across fulfillment centers
• Maintained a lean team structure, operating with just a 3-person fulfillment team despite massive order volume

Perhaps most impressively, Dossier has achieved this growth while maintaining their commitment to high-quality, accessible fragrances, proving that the right logistics partner can be a true enabler of business success.

The ShipBob Solution

ShipBob implemented several key solutions to address Dossier's fulfillment challenges:

1. Inventory Placement Program: Automating the distribution of inventory across ShipBob's US fulfillment network to optimize for faster delivery times and lower shipping costs.
2. Global Fulfillment Network: Enabling Dossier to efficiently serve international customers by strategically positioning inventory closer to end consumers.
3. B2B Retail Distribution: Specialized solutions for Dossier's Walmart partnership, ensuring compliance with retailer requirements across almost 4,000 stores.
4. Amazon FBA Prep Services: Streamlining inventory preparation for Amazon's fulfillment program to maintain consistent service across all sales channels.
5. Receiving Hubs: Centralizing inventory receipt before distributing to regional fulfillment centers, enhancing efficiency in the supply chain.
6. Advanced Inventory Tracking: Providing real-time visibility into inventory levels, order status, and other critical data points for informed decision-making.

These solutions allowed Dossier to maintain their focus on product development and brand building while ShipBob handled the complex logistics that enable their business model to thrive.

Lessons for Other eCommerce Brands

Dossier's successful partnership with ShipBob offers several valuable lessons for other eCommerce brands:

1. Partner early for scale: Finding the right fulfillment partner before reaching a breaking point allowed Dossier to scale smoothly without operational disruptions. Don't wait until fulfillment becomes a crisis to seek professional solutions.
2. Omnichannel capabilities matter: Choose a 3PL that can support multiple sales channels, including DTC, retail distribution, and marketplace fulfillment. Dossier's ability to expand from their website to Walmart and Amazon was enabled by ShipBob's diverse capabilities.
3. Data visibility drives decisions: Access to real-time inventory and order data has been crucial for Dossier's operational efficiency. Look for a 3PL that provides robust reporting and analytics.
4. Strategic inventory placement reduces costs: Dossier leveraged ShipBob's network to position inventory closer to customers, reducing both shipping costs and delivery times. This distributed approach to fulfillment creates both cost savings and competitive advantage.

Is ShipBob Right for Your Business?

When considering whether ShipBob might be the right 3PL partner for your business, evaluate these factors:

• Growth trajectory: ShipBob is particularly well-suited for high-growth brands like Dossier that need a partner who can scale with them from thousands to millions of orders.
• Multichannel strategy: If your business sells across multiple channels (DTC website, marketplaces, retail), you'll benefit from ShipBob's omnichannel capabilities.
• International ambitions: Brands looking to expand globally will appreciate ShipBob's international fulfillment network.
• Product characteristics: ShipBob has specific experience with products like fragrances that require special handling or have compliance considerations.
• Technology integration needs: Consider how ShipBob's technology stack will integrate with your existing systems and whether their reporting capabilities meet your needs.

To determine the best 3PL fit for your specific business requirements, consider using a fulfillment matchmaking service that can help identify the optimal logistics partner based on your unique needs.

Final Thoughts

Dossier Perfumes' partnership with ShipBob demonstrates how the right fulfillment partner can be a strategic asset rather than just an operational necessity. By outsourcing logistics to ShipBob, Dossier freed up resources to focus on their core competencies: creating exceptional fragrances and building a distinctive brand.

The results—over a million orders fulfilled, expansion to thousands of retail locations, and a global customer base—highlight how critical fulfillment excellence is to eCommerce success. For brands seeking similar growth trajectories, finding a 3PL partner that aligns with both current needs and future ambitions is an essential step in scaling operations efficiently.

Whether you're just starting out or already experiencing growing pains with your current fulfillment solution, the Dossier case study provides a compelling blueprint for how to approach 3PL partnerships as a strategic advantage in building a successful eCommerce brand.