Join Us

Enabling omnichannel shopping for The Souled Store
How Unthinkable helped The Souled Store transform from a pure-play online retailer to an omnichannel powerhouse, managing complex inventory across 22+ stores while reducing customer service load by 40% through intelligent order routing and real-time stock synchronization.

TABLE OF CONTENT

About The Souled Store

The Souled Store is India's largest licensed merchandise brand, manufacturing and retailing pop-culture themed apparel and accessories. With exclusive licenses from Disney, WWE, IPL teams, and ViaCom18, they serve 7 million monthly visitors through their digital and physical channels, processing over 2.5 lakh orders monthly.

Critical Scaling Bottlenecks

The Souled Store faced severe operational challenges during their rapid expansion:

1. Order Fulfillment Complexity

The company struggled with a complex order fulfillment process where 35% of orders needed to be split across multiple stores due to inventory distribution challenges. Cross-store inventory updates faced significant delays, taking up to 48 hours to synchronize, which led to a concerning 25% order cancellation rate due to stock synchronization issues. The manual routing system further complicated operations, resulting in 30% delivery inefficiencies and increased operational costs.

2. Legacy POS Limitations

The existing third-party POS system was highly unreliable, experiencing daily downtime of up to 2 hours which severely impacted store operations. The system's inability to process cross-store returns affected 20% of all transactions, creating customer dissatisfaction. Additionally, the lack of integration with their online loyalty program, which served over 2M members, created a disconnected experience. Store staff spent approximately 4 hours daily on manual reconciliation tasks, significantly reducing operational efficiency.

3. Store Operations Inefficiencies

Store operations were hampered by fixed POS counters that restricted staff mobility, leading to a 15% reduction in potential sales opportunities. During peak hours, customers faced average wait times of 40 minutes, severely impacting satisfaction levels. The lack of real-time visibility into other store inventories made stock management inefficient, while manual end-of-day reconciliation processes consumed 3 hours of valuable staff time daily.

4. Last-Mile Delivery Challenges

Last-mile delivery was a major pain point with a standard delivery timeframe of 72 hours, despite having local stock availability. The inability to offer same-day delivery was particularly problematic as 45% of customers specifically requested faster delivery options. High courier costs significantly impacted profit margins, while the lack of optimization in delivery routes and timing created additional operational inefficiencies.

Solution Architecture: Building Scale-Ready Systems

We implemented an integrated system addressing each bottleneck:

1. Smart Order Orchestration Platform

Our solution implemented a sophisticated order distribution system featuring real-time inventory synchronization across all 22+ stores. The smart order routing capability successfully reduced split deliveries by 60%, while the automated store allocation system utilized 8 key priority parameters to optimize order fulfillment. The implementation of live inventory visibility resulted in an impressive 85% reduction in order cancellations, significantly improving customer satisfaction.

2. Cloud-Native Unified Commerce System

We developed a robust cloud-based POS system that achieved 99.9% uptime, eliminating the previous reliability issues. The system seamlessly integrated the loyalty program across all channels, creating a unified customer experience. End-of-day reconciliation was automated and reduced to just 15 minutes, while cross-store returns were streamlined to be processed in under 2 minutes, greatly improving operational efficiency.

3. Store Digitalization Suite

The introduction of mPOS transformed store operations by enabling staff to engage with customers throughout the store. This mobile solution provided real-time stock checks across all locations and facilitated automated inventory transfers between stores. The implementation of digital receipts resulted in a 90% reduction in paper waste while improving transaction tracking and customer service capabilities.

4. Intelligent Last-Mile Network

We established a comprehensive hyperlocal delivery network capable of same-day delivery within a 4-hour radius. The system employs dynamic store selection to ensure the fastest possible delivery times. Through automated courier optimization, we achieved a 28% reduction in delivery costs. The implementation of real-time delivery tracking and notifications significantly enhanced the customer delivery experience.

Impact: Accelerating Retail Excellence

The implementation of our integrated retail management solution transformed The Souled Store's operational capabilities, enabling them to scale from a single online store to 22+ physical locations while maintaining seamless inventory control. The new system dramatically improved customer satisfaction by reducing order cancellations and enabling same-day delivery options, leading to a 40% reduction in customer service queries and a significant increase in repeat purchases. The enhanced operational efficiency and proven scalability of the platform attracted significant investor interest, resulting in ₹2.2 Bn funding for expansion. This successful transformation has positioned The Souled Store for their ambitious plan to expand to 100 stores nationwide, with the robust infrastructure now capable of handling their projected growth in order volume and complexity.

01

85% Reduction

in order cancellations through smart inventory management

02

2.5 Lakh+

monthly orders processed with 99.9% accuracy

03

60%

Faster order processing with automated routing

04

28% Reduction

in operational costs through system optimization

Conclusion

The implementation of our comprehensive retail management solution enabled The Souled Store to scale from 1 to 22 stores while maintaining seamless inventory control and customer experience. The custom technology stack not only solved immediate operational challenges but also created a foundation for their planned expansion to 100 stores. Key achievements include reducing split deliveries by 60%, enabling same-day delivery capabilities, and achieving 99.9% inventory accuracy across all locations.

Ready to build something remarkable?

Let's discuss how our unique approach can help you create a digital platform that evolves with your users.