Shipwire Storage and Shipping Solution Changes the Game for Eco-Friendly Mattress Retailer Keetsa

KineticPR for Shipwire.com Rebecca Hurst, 650-679-9282 [email protected] [email protected] Shipwire, Inc., the leader in Internet-delivered storage and shipping services, today announced that Keetsa has successfully deployed Shipwire to eliminate the hassles of warehousing and order fulfillment -- and keep its environmentally friendly mattresses' carbon footprint low. Keetsa is using the game-changing Shipwire

storage and shipping solution to get its revolutionary, eco-friendly memory-foam mattresses to customers faster and easier, in the process removing Keetsa's need for a 10,000 square-foot warehouse.

If you've seen all the sleep aid commercials on television, it's obvious that getting a good night's sleep is a major problem. So when Keetsa introduced a revolutionary, eco-friendly memory foam mattress that can help people sleep better for less, the demand for the product was clearly there. In keeping with the company's environmental and cost-saving commitment, Keetsa had also developed a unique packaging solution that allowed the mattresses to be boxed for easy shipping to buyers, reducing transport costs and overall carbon emissions.

According to sales director Joe Alexander, what Keetsa didn't anticipate was the sleepless nights trying to find a warehouse to store and ship its mattresses. Keetsa found itself stuck in a classic small business box. Joe needed a warehouse that would fit his storage needs, but traditional warehouses wouldn't work with the company. Keetsa's patented packaging is designed within the carrier specifications so that they could be uniquely delivered through the mail. Despite that, traditional warehouses either didn't want to deal with mattresses or demanded long-term contracts, upfront fees, and a credit check that would have been hard for a newly established business to pass.

"For awhile, it seemed like the only option was to pay for our own 10,000 square-foot warehouse in Oakland, California," said Joe. "That was not a choice we wanted to make. Not only would the added costs force Keetsa to raise retail prices, but we would have to spend a lot of time managing the warehouse - time we needed to spend tending to retail sales and educating people about Keetsa's products."

Just as Joe and the Keetsa team were getting ready for more sleepless nights away from home, they found out about Shipwire and it's game-changing storage and shipping solution for Web retailers ready to focus on growth. It was exactly what they knew Keetsa needed but never thought they would find. Shipwire's easy plug-and-play online store order fulfillment solution eliminates the hassle of storage and shipping for growing retail companies.

"Shipwire's model was a perfect fit," Joe says. "There were no annual commitments or credit checks - just a low monthly fee, and Shipwire customized a pricing plan for us quickly." Using Shipwire.com, Keetsa was able to put inventory into East and West coast warehouses and automate mattress shipments to its growing list of online buyers from the Keetsa.com online store.

"We chose the Shipwire warehouse and order fulfillment service for its flexibility. It gave us storage and delivery features that we needed at a price we appreciated." Joe says. Keetsa estimates that using Shipwire saved them at least 35 percent versus the Oakland warehouse alternative - a savings that enables Keetsa to maintain the lowest retail prices on its mattresses. "Shipwire.com combined with our unique packaging is a huge advantage that allows us to compete against established players."

In addition to saving money, Shipwire's solution gives Keetsa other powerful advantages to help stay competitive. -0- Receiving and Delivery the way Keetsa wants it Shipwire does not require Keetsa to deliver product on pallets, which allows the company to pack import containers with an estimated one-fourth more product. Shipwire's warehouse professionals handle Keetsa's container unloads. The power of multiple warehouses "Shipwire listened to our needs and then customized a pricing plan that gave us features, like multiple warehouses, that we never even dreamed possible," says Joe. "Using Shipwire's East and West Coast warehouses lets us move inventory closer to our customers, keeping our delivery costs low. Less travel also means less fuel, lowering the carbon footprint of our mattresses." 80 percent less time "It takes us about an hour to ship a mattress from our flagship retail store in San Francisco -- pulling the box from inventory, labeling it, and waiting for the shipper," explains Joe. "It takes just a couple of minutes to log into Shipwire.com and schedule a mattress for shipping from our Shipwire warehouses." Eliminate the Headaches of the warehouse, freight movement and order fulfillment Shipwire is Keetsa's warehouse and shipping expert. If something goes wrong, Keetsa can turn to Shipwire and get answers quickly. "We move a lot of inventory around the world and sometimes things go wrong with a freight shipment or a specific customer delivery," states Joe. "Sending through Shipwire reduces shipping mistakes. If a shipment is lost, Shipwire's team and tools make tracking down the error and resolving it quick, easy and typically in our favor. That is a nice change." Taking back control Instead of Keetsa bowing to the demands of warehouses, hoping they would do business with the innovative company, Joe has put the power back in Keetsa's hands by using Shipwire. He doesn't need to lease warehouses. Now the Keetsa team can manage inventory and delivery in a way that is convenient and affordable for them while gaining a competitive business advantage. Even the fact that they didn't have to sign an annual contract with Shipwire gave Keetsa more control. "It means Shipwire has to keep proving itself to us everyday," Joe notes. Although he quickly adds, "But believe me, we have no intention of leaving Shipwire." Especially since working with Shipwire, the entire Keetsa team sleeps a whole lot better.

For more information on how your business can leverage Shipwire to save shipping costs and lower your company's carbon footprint please see the Shipwire Blog posting -- Environmentally Friendly Storage and Shipping Practices.

Keetsa brings an eco-friendly, sustainability orientation to sleep products with amazing new items such as mattresses, pillows, and toppers that deliver comfort night after night. Keetsa also brings safer sleep environments by using everyday, natural ingredients that deliver anti-bacterial benefits. These products come together in one of the most efficient business models that produces a much lower carbon foot print than typical mattress stores...and every day cost savings to consumers in the range of 50 to 75 percent. To learn more, visit www.keetsa.com.

Shipwire, Inc. allows Web retailers to focus on growth by eliminating the hassle of inventory storage and order fulfillment. Plans start at just $29.95 a month. Shipwire is changing the game for businesses that sell merchandise online - offering a growing warehouse network, simple bundled pricing, a developer network, and Web store integration. Today, more than 30,000 online stores have Shipwire built-in. Shipwire has warehouses located in Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto. Shipwire can be contacted at 1-888-SHIPWIRE or www.Shipwire.com.

KEYWORDS: ecommerce order fulfillment, distribution center, Chicago warehouse, Los Angeles warehouse, Canadian warehouse, ecommerce affiliate, outsourced logistics, supply chain logistics, pay pal shipping, Web stores fulfillment

¶ Entrepreneurial Mattress Web Retailer Uses Shipwire Storage and

Shipping Services to Keep Both Customer Prices and Its Carbon

Footprint Low