Bonsai master Gene Neiro in one of his greenhouses.
Harking back to ancient Far Eastern traditions, bonsai master Gene Neiro trims,
prunes and trains his bonsais to resemble full-size, aged trees, even as they
retain their miniature stature. Whether he wants a specimen to appear squat and
wind-swept, tall and tumbling like a waterfall, or spread wide as an umbrella,
there's nothing he can't achieve with a roll of wire, a pair of cutters and
enough time.
Now Neiro is looking to exercise the same sort of control over the growth of his
business. What began as a backyard hobby in 1985 has become
Bonsai Boy of New York, a thriving full-time venture that
fills upwards of 13,000 orders a year. Despite such rapid expansion, though, winter had always remained a dead spot for
the company because of the danger of frost damage during shipping. But thanks to
an ingenious new packing method, Neiro has seen a 20 percent increase in volume
during the winter months.
"The bonsai is a perishable product, so it can't be in a box for more than three days," Neiro says of his stock, which includes jade, tamarind and ficus among the more delicate varieties. Most orders come from the company's website and are shipped using UPS 2nd Day Air® from the company's nursery in St. James, N.Y., on Long Island.
Because tropical bonsais must be kept at a temperature of 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, bonsai retailers typically hold winter orders until the mercury rises above 40 degrees – a strategy that protects the plants from the damaging cold but does little for holiday sales. Neiro found his business sidelined during what should be a retailer's busiest time of year, and his customers were missing out on a perfect gift for the dreary winter months – a verdant, pint-size tree with a life expectancy of decades.
Then, after consulting the UPS Package Laboratory in Addison, Ill., Neiro discovered heat packs. Through slow oxidation, these small, inexpensive sacks can safely maintain a temperature of 130 degrees for up to 72 hours. The combination of a heat pack in each winter shipment and the guaranteed two-day UPS delivery commitment meant Neiro's plants would remain warm during transit and reach their destinations intact.
Having overcome the weather obstacle, Bonsai Boy faced a new challenge: keeping up with increased demand. In a typical week, the company ships 200 trees. During the holidays, that number triples, and in the two weeks before Christmas it can soar to 1,800. So Bonsai Boy integrated UPS WorldShip® into its internal systems, letting the company stay on top of orders even in the busiest season. The WorldShip software simplified customer data management and shipment processing. It eliminates redundant steps by importing shipping data from other business systems, and it's readily accessible from the desktop.
"All we have to do is type in the order number and the shipping label comes out with the name and address," Neiro says. "There's no need to type or to double-check your typing. And you never disappoint customers by shipping to the wrong address."
Maximize efficiency to handle high volume
Neiro credits Quantum View Notify® with saving him time and money. While he used to field phone calls from customers wanting to know when their trees would arrive, the web-based application allows him to share tracking information. "Now UPS sends them an e-mail with all the information," he says, "and customers can track their packages themselves." No longer beholden to the phone, the weather or the minutia of order processing, Neiro has more time for his passion: tending to his precious plants.
A surge in orders can do wonders for the balance sheet, but if you don't have an efficient system in place, it can overwhelm the back office. WorldShip streamlines order processing for customers with high-volume shipping needs. It can be easily integrated into your existing system and customized to meet your priorities. Use it to import, store and easily access customer data, to generate international export documentation, to evaluate shipping-related costs and much more.
Continue reading
