What’s the story: Pappy and Co., a seller of fine bourbon-inspired products, tapped into UPS’s expertise when the pandemic halted traffic to its physical store in Louisville, Kentucky.
Co-founders and sisters Louise Van Winkle Breen, Carrie Van Winkle Greener and Chenault Van Winkle James worked with UPS and others to find the best way to get customers their online orders as fast and as cheap as possible.
Eventually, the small business partnered entirely with UPS helping them not just to survive, but thrive.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Pappy & Co. has transitioned from about 55 percent UPS shipments to nearly 90 percent UPS shipments.
What they’re saying: “We already had a strong online presence, but I don’t think anyone knew what to expect in 2020,” Chenault said. “It became apparent that we wouldn’t be reopening the storefront anytime soon, so we wanted to up our game online.”
“Pappy & Company and UPS have been great partners,” Chenault said. “UPS has really helped us scale the business.”
Making the switch: The sister trio took a customer-first approach in how they listened, learned and acted on behalf of their customers.
“We made a decision as a company that our customers’ happiness is everything to us,” Louise said. “So, we rerouted those packages [from other carriers] and delivered them using UPS. We pride ourselves on our customer service and a big part of that comes down to knowing the customer and knowing when they're going to get their package.”