Carpe, a leading antiperspirant brand, specializes in solutions for sweaty underarms, hands, feet, and more, aiming to improve the quality of life for people struggling with excessive sweating. Carpe’s innovative products quickly gained popularity in the United States. Eager to help people in other countries combat excessive sweat, they sought to expand into new markets. However, they faced several obstacles, most notably unreliable shipping, which made this expansion challenging. These difficulties led to poor customer experiences outside the United States and increased internal support demands to handle customer complaints. To enhance customer satisfaction and sustainably grow their global business, Carpe and their 3PL, Logistech Solutions, turned to Passport to ensure their life-changing products could be delivered reliably worldwide.
International Challenges and Pain Points
Prior to partnering with Passport, expanding into the Canadian market revealed significant obstacles for Carpe that impacted their ability to provide a seamless customer experience. The primary hurdles they faced included:
- Customs Delays – Shipments were frequently held at customs due to duties and taxes, leading to frustrated customers and delayed deliveries.
- Unreliable Delivery – Inconsistent and lengthy transit times compromised the reliability of Carpe’s deliveries, which is crucial for their subscription-based model.
- Lack of Tracking Visibility – Inadequate tracking information and reliance on postal services resulted in poor visibility, affecting customer satisfaction and trust.
- Customer Support Strain – The influx of international shipments led to a spike in complaints, particularly related to duties and taxes, significantly increasing support demands.
These issues underscored the necessity for a more reliable shipping solution, while the potential overseas demand for their products drove the need for a partner who could support their end-to-end international strategy. As Andy Louis, Vice President of Operations at Carpe, explained, “There was an evident demand for our products in Canada, and we clearly needed to do this a different way and come up with a more comprehensive solution.”
How Passport Helped
Passport addressed Carpe’s international challenges through a series of targeted improvements across the entire shopper journey, from pre-purchase to post-purchase. This holistic approach not only solved immediate issues but also identified ways to increase performance, facilitating growth by elevating the customer experience and driving additional sales in new global markets.
1. Expanded Global Reach
- Seamless Integration – Passport’s technology is integrated with Shopify, Carpe’s existing ecommerce platform, supporting efficient operations and quick scalability.
- Growth Advisory – Capitalizing on global demand, Passport made it easy for Carpe to grow and test new countries by guiding them in expanding to additional regions. Carpe also utilized Passport Seller of Record™ to handle international taxes in countries that require local registration, allowing them to enter markets within a matter of days.
2. Optimized Checkout Process
- Duty & Tax Management – Passport manages duties and taxes for Carpe with real-time calculations, collection at checkout, and remittance. This landed-cost solution facilitated a smooth customer experience by providing transparent pricing to increase conversions and prevented shipment delays from customs holdups.
3. Enhanced Post-Purchase Experiences
- Reliable Shipping & Tracking – Passport’s logistics capabilities and extensive global shipping network enhanced Carpe’s delivery reliability and transit times, significantly reducing customer complaints. As the carrier, Passport also provides industry-leading tracking, keeping customers informed about their shipment status and enhancing the overall post-purchase experience.
- Comprehensive Support – Passport’s dedicated support team handles international shipping inquiries, alleviating the burden on Carpe’s internal team.
- Effective Compliance Management – With in-house licensed customs brokers and global trade expertise, Passport manages compliance requirements effectively. This results in streamlined customs processing, reduced delays, and improved operational efficiency.
“Passport has been huge in terms of allowing us to grow our international business to a meaningful portion of our current overall business. Prior to Passport, our international sales were less than 5% of our revenue, but right now it’s making up more than 10% of our overall revenue.”
Andy Louis
Impacts of Partnering with Passport
Since partnering with Passport, Carpe has seen remarkable improvements in its international sales and operations. Key results include:
- Revenue Growth – Carpe took their international revenue from 5% (on par with most U.S. brands) to over 10% of total revenue, underlining the financial impact of improved international solutions and customer satisfaction.
- Boost in Shipping Volume – Carpe’s shipping volume increased by more than 55% year-over-year, with hundreds of thousands of successful deliveries across 36 countries, reflecting their expanded international reach.
- Improved Transit Times – Transit times to six key markets improved by up to 18% quarter-over-quarter, enhancing delivery speed and reliability.
- Reduction in Support Tickets – The volume of international tickets related to duties and taxes dropped to nearly zero due to effective landed-cost calculations and collection during checkout.
“Carpe’s passion for helping people and commitment to providing an excellent customer experience exemplifies how brands should approach global expansion. We are proud to call Carpe a partner, and are thrilled to see the international growth and shipping success they’ve achieved with Passport’s help.”
— Andrew Brown, Senior Director of Customer Growth
Carpe and Passport’s Collaborative Success
Carpe’s partnership with Passport has been pivotal in overcoming expansion challenges, increasing revenue in global markets, and significantly improving operational efficiency and customer satisfaction for international orders. Passport’s technology-enabled accurate duty and tax collection, preventing customs delays and reducing support ticket volumes. Additionally, reliable shipping and tracking enabled Carpe to reliably deliver to international customers, which is especially crucial for their subscription products. This collaboration has allowed Carpe to seamlessly enter new regions and help people around the world manage sweat problems. As Carpe continues to grow, they plan to leverage Passport to bring their transformative products to more international customers.
For ecommerce brands looking to boost revenue by expanding their reach, Passport provides the tools and expertise to simplify and accelerate entry into global markets. Ready to elevate your brand or enhance your existing international operations? Set up a discovery call with our team today to see how Passport can fuel your growth.