How Brooklinen Used Anvyl to Build a Supply Chain Ready for Scale and Expansion
About Brooklinen
The idea for Brooklinen was first sparked when the brand’s cofounders, husband-and-wife team Vicki and Rich Fulop, went on vacation and had a life-altering encounter with a set of ridiculously comfortable sheets. When trying to track down and purchase their own set, however, they were appalled by the price tag but intrigued by the challenge it presented and how many others were dealing with the same problem. If most luxury sheets were out of their price range due to frivolous markups and middlemen, why not make their own and sell them directly to customers? Brooklinen was born shortly after in 2014 – built on the philosophy that everyone deserves beautiful, durable home essentials at a reasonable price point. The brand started with one high quality sheet style and has since expanded throughout the bedroom, to the bathroom, and across new categories such as home fragrance and laundry detergent. Brooklinen has seven active retail stores, a growing hospitality collection, and much more in the works, all created with the company ethos of keeping customers comfortable in mind.
Early Growth Challenges
Early on as the company gained momentum and started to grow, the Brooklinen team knew they needed a more efficient way to manage their supply chain. In 2019, Brooklinen brought in Anvyl to help them centralize their data, streamline communications, create greater efficiencies, and increase visibility throughout their purchase order (PO) process. The team was also able to use Anvyl’s built-in automations, insight into production delays, and 162% Increase in Order Volume collaboration tools to strengthen and empower two-way communication with suppliers.
With Anvyl powering a smarter supply chain process, Brooklinen continued to grow and raised a $50 million Series B in March 2020. From there, the company made plans to scale its products into new regions, add brick and mortar stores, and expand beyond luxury grade linens into the apparel, bath and consumables categories.
Avoiding the Slowdown of Supply Chain Complexity
As the company grew and expanded its offering, it also added considerable complexity to their supply chain. To help with this, Brooklinen brought in JD Davis as Director of Procurement & Production to oversee the company’s supply chain management strategies.
Around this time, Brooklinen decided the time was right to deploy a Netsuite ERP which seamlessly integrates with Anvyl. As we’ve seen time and again, this powerful combination provides teams with the ability to automate PO updates, reduce manual data entry across systems, prevent human errors, and provide visibility across teams globally.
While this integration provided a powerful single source of truth for Brooklinen, JD knew that in order to build a highly resilient supply chain, Brooklinen had to optimize their supplier relationships. As she notes, “It’s really important for us to make connections with not just our suppliers, but also the suppliers of our suppliers. When we can build those relationships we are ultimately able to build a higher quality product.”
It’s really important for us to make connections with not just our suppliers, but also the suppliers of our suppliers. When we can build those relationships we are ultimately able to build a higher quality product.
One key area of focus is looking for greater efficiencies in how we work with our suppliers. Anvyl provides us with insights that allow us to deepen our supplier relationships at a time where they’ve become more important than ever before.
Anvyl has become a critical tool for JD and the Brooklinen team, enabling them to communi- cate with their suppliers in more meaningful and efficient ways. The platform creates dynamic scorecards that provide a snapshot of how well each supplier is performing, while also flagging potential issues that the team can proactively address. This information is then used for quarterly business reviews where JD and her team meet with suppliers to determine how they can work together more effectively.
The Road To A More Resilient – And Predictable – Supply Chain
Today, Brooklinen is known as the “Home of the Internet’s Favorite Sheets.” As the company continues to lean on their supply chain for success, Anvyl will be there to provide the visibility, collaboration, and intelligence they need to make sure things run smoothly.
Summing up her experience with Anvyl, JD notes, “I’ve tried to create systems and processes like this in previous roles, but nothing has come close to what Anvyl is able to achieve. The platform gives us everything we need to maintain a supply chain that can withstand anything that comes our way as we continue to grow.”
The platform gives us everything we need to maintain a supply chain that can withstand anything that comes our way as we continue to grow.
Results
Here’s a closer look at the role Anvyl played in helping the brand achieve this.
Established A Single Source of Truth
Today, Brooklinen centralizes all of their supply chain data within Anvyl through a direct integration into their Netsuite ERP, delivering a significant amount of intelligence readily available within seconds.
Increased On-time Shipments by 41%
From 2021 to 2022, the Brooklinen supply chain team was able to increase on-time shipments by 41%. Leveraging Anvyl, the business enjoyed greater control and clarity knowing when products would be available to meet increasing demand across channels.
Strengthened Supplier Relationships
With centralized communication, improved collaboration, and enhanced alignment throughout the order process, the team was able to improve communication with their suppliers, boasting an engagement rate of over 95% in 2022.
Increased Order Volume by 162% Over Two Years
An optimized supply chain that includes greater visibility, more efficient processes, and stronger supplier relationships has resulted in a significant increase in orders and reorders for the brand, including a 162% increase from 2020-2022.
Improved Efficiency by Automating 1,700+ manual tasks
In 2022, the Brooklinen team used Anvyl’s automation capabilities to help them regain valuable time that they could use to focus on strategic initiatives. By automating 1,700+ tasks, the team saved an estimated 87 hours throughout the year.
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