Design Your Own Success: How Singapore Start-up Oak Tree Living is Growing with Fulfillment by Locad

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Oak Tree Living is a handcrafted homeware online brand that champions Indian design and craftsmanship – working and partnering directly with local artisans. Its affordable selection of well-designed home goods is exclusively made in India using traditional techniques and locally sourced materials. By outsourcing fulfillment to Locad, Oak Tree Living has significantly reduced costs in storage and warehousing, observed an increase in positive customer feedback regarding delivery speed, and benefited from the seamlessness of Locad’s fulfillment engine. 

Key Metrics

  • Increased savings in warehousing and storage
  • 100% Fulfillment Order Accuracy
  • Growth in Singapore and expansion plans for worldwide shipping

About Oak Tree Living

Founded by siblings Lokesh and Rashmi, Oak Tree Living is a lifestyle brand that sells homeware and goods intricately designed and made by hand. From furniture to textiles and tableware to bags, its curated and distinct collection of home goods are handcrafted by artisans in India. 

For the two, running a lifestyle brand has always been at the back of their mind. But with Lokesh formerly based in India while Rashmi was working in Singapore, logistics became tricky. It wasn’t until Lokesh made the big move to Singapore that their dream of setting up a business together became a reality.

On a mission to make Indian craftsmanship more accessible and affordable in Singapore, Lokesh and Rashmi launched Oak Tree Living. They describe the style and design approach of the brand as earthy, nature-inspired, and subtle – contrasting how most items made in India can be very bold and bright. “We wanted to keep it uniquely Indian with global appeal so all the products we curate and create are in more muted tones with an occasional pop of colour,” says Rashmi. 

“Everything we sell is handmade – we work directly with artisans to bring the best and most beautiful products from India and bring them at an affordable price,” says Lokesh.

Their ceramics sell fast – with their signature mugs being a popular choice among first-time and repeat shoppers. The two explain that the distinct patterns are what makes it sought-after. Additionally, their range of rugs is made 100% with recycled plastic bottles. Rashmi explains that they are consciously moving towards keeping their products all sustainable and as eco-friendly as possible.

Searching for a one-stop shop for all their fulfillment needs

For founders Lokesh and Rashmi, running a two-person business is no easy feat. With their priority and focus mainly on marketing, design, and their relationship with the artisans, they decided to look for a fulfillment partner that could look after the logistics operations of their business. The two wanted to look for an affordable and flexible one-stop-shop solution for their three primary fulfillment needs: warehousing, inventory tracking, and efficient last-mile delivery.

“Setting up our own logistics division would be too demanding, and we’re just two people running the business,” explains Rashmi. Having done the math for potentially keeping fulfillment in-house, the siblings share that it would be a more cost-effective solution to search for an expert and partner to run that part of their business instead.

After six months of research – meeting potential partners and scouring the internet – they finally came across Locad, which ticked all their three boxes. 

Biggest benefit? User-friendly technology and service

While Lokesh and Rashmi were initially looking for a partner that would take care of their warehousing, inventory tracking, and last-mile delivery, the two enthused that the biggest advantage to working with Locad is the tech behind it. 

“[The dashboard] is very user-friendly, and it improves every month,” shares Lokesh, adding that he is pleased to see more and more useful features being added over time on top of how seamlessly the tech works on its own. He explained that these features aid their business strategy and marketing decisions – giving them a deeper and clear understanding of fast-moving products and goods.

Complementing the tech is Locad’s dedicated customer success team. “Locad sorts out hiccups quite fast, and the team is so easy to work with,” says Rashmi, explaining that they feel confident to ask and raise any questions to the team given the swiftness of responses and quality care demonstrated by Locad’s team.

Outsourcing fulfillment = peace of mind

Relying on Locad for their day-to-day fulfillment needs has also resulted in an increase in positive customer feedback, owing to the speedy last-mile delivery. “Customers were not expecting our items to be delivered so quickly – especially given that they’re furniture pieces,” shares Lokesh. “So not only did this trigger an increase in positive customer feedback, but it also converted them to repeat customers, which means more sales.”

“Logistically, having Locad has been a huge advantage for us,” says Rashmi, adding, “[Locad] provides us with peace of mind, so we can focus on sourcing the right kind of products and not worry too much about logistics.”

For the siblings, the assurance that their logistics operations are running smoothly is priceless. This enables them to prioritize and focus their time and efforts on the more strategy-driven and decision-making parts of the business that demand their full attention – from marketing campaigns to training with the artisans.

Experience fulfillment by LOCAD

Grow your business through Locad’s simplified and automated fulfillment solution

  • Unlimited and scaleable warehousing
  • Pay only for what you store
  • No hidden fees or lock-in periods
  • Zero inbound costs
  • Wide integration with marketplaces
  • Automated logistics and delivery
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