Performance Team, a leading 3PL provider, modernizes their entire business and gets acquired by Maersk

First Glance

Performance Team is a leading third-party logistics (3PL) provider that moves more than 20 million shipments every day through several supply chain hubs around the US. With more than 30 years of experience offering B2B and B2C ecommerce fulfillment solutions for retail and wholesale distribution, Performance Team has developed an exceptional reputation in a wide array of client verticals.

Due to accelerating demand from fast-growing direct-to-consumer clients using Shopify, Performance Team approached Sunrise Integration for our expertise with Shopify app development. They wanted to modernize their business and continue innovating in an increasingly ecommerce focused world.

Performance Team was able to enter into the Magento and Shopify app markets which allowed them to scale to massive success and primed them for an acquisition by Maersk, a multibillion dollar integrated global shipping company.

The Challenge

While Performance Team had historically offered data connectivity via their Manhattan WMS (warehouse management system), it wasn’t enough to keep up with the “plug-and-play” capabilities of modern ecommerce platforms that their clients had become accustomed to. Without any prior investment in integrated apps nor APIs, they needed a clear roadmap to make a lasting mark on Shopify, BigCommerce and Magento. Performance Team enlisted Sunrise Integration’s help to modernize their systems so they could continue delivering services at high velocity, with a low barrier to entry for emerging new brands.

Designing an app for a large Third-Party Logistics (3PL) company presented many challenges that our development team needed to solve to ensure a successful launch. The app needed to be customizable to adapt to Performance Team's specific needs. Making an app flexible while also keeping it robust and reliable, is a tricky balance.

Another challenge was managing the vast amounts of data coming in and out of the WMS platform. Performance Team deals with numerous daily transactions, involving goods, locations, customers, suppliers, etc. Managing, organizing, and effectively using this data in the app is a complex task. If not done right, it can result in slow response, or worse, errors and inefficiencies. This was an important aspect that our team needed to keep in mind to make the app useable.

These were just some of the main challenges Sunrise Integration faced while developing and designing the app for Performance Team. It was a tough job, but our expert team was up for the challenge. We were proud to provide Performance Team will top quality guidance and development. The solution was a world class, multi-platform app for a major 3PL company.

The Solution

After undergoing a step-by-step discovery process with Performance Team, which included feature discovery, needs analysis, warehouse site visits and proof-of-concept, the Sunrise Integration team built a minimum viable product (MVP) and optimized it to keep operating costs low and product performance high.

Performance Team’s new customized app allows their clients to send orders from Shopify stores to their enterprise Manhattan WMS for fulfillment. The app takes information from that system, which is networked through all their fulfillment centres, and turns it into something that the Shopify platform can read.

Here’s the process that each Shopify order for Performance Team goes through:

• Once an order comes into a Shopify store, the app sends that order to Performance Team’s nationwide warehouse system

• Staff at the warehouse picks the order, updates the system and sends that information back to the Shopify store

• Then, the shipping label is printed and the system updates the order status

• This triggers a notification to the Shopify store and the customer so everyone knows the order has been shipped

• Inventory is synchronized based upon the scheduled configured by the merchant

• Returns and RMA data is validated

The new app makes receiving and shipping orders automatic, saving a significant amount of time because much of the process no longer has to be done manually.

Accurate Inventory

One of biggest benefits of the Shopify app was the inventory sync process. Keeping accurate inventory levels is a critical need for any shopify merchant. When customers purchase a product, they expect it to be available and delivered on time. If a product is listed as available when it's actually out of stock, it creates a frustrating experience for the customer. This could lead to loss of trust and negatively impact the business's reputation. The new Shopify app solved this issue and merchants could now feel confident that their product inventory was correct.

With the success of their MVP,  Performance Team wanted more features in order to address the needs of their clients. Together, we worked on a significantly improved second version of the app. These features included:

• Advanced product administration platform

• Improved synchronization (set by Performance Team)

• Order management and fulfillment status

• Reporting and analytics

With these improvements and changes to Performance Team’s business, we also bolstered their security protocols to ensure that all their data is well protected.

The Outcome

With this new app and an overall upgrade in their technology stack, Performance Team now has access to markets that were previously inaccessible to them. They’re able to reach more clients and industries with their new positioning as a technology forward company.

Since the launch of the app, Performance Team has seen explosive growth in orders for their clients through Shopify. One of our mutual clients, Quay Australia, was able to successfully process 60,000 orders per hour!

Thanks to the huge success of the app, Maersk took notice of their performance in the marketplace and acquired Performance Team in 2020.

Looking to the Future

To continue building on their forward momentum, Performance Team is working with us on Version 3 of their app to grow their market share and reach even bigger milestones.