ALOM Unleashes 88M+ Global Pet Market for DNA Test Leader
ALOM jumped in and implemented a supply chain program that alleviated all Brexit-related pain and pandemic-related pressures.
Karissa Carrasquillo Sr. Supply Chain Manager for Wisdom Panel
The Challenge
- Lacked international supply chain expertise and infrastructure
- Market expansion coincided with COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit disruption
- Complex cross-border DNA sample return process
- Lack of centralized inventory and order status/reporting visibility
The Solution
- Individualized barcode order and sample return tracking
- Seamless sample returns process
- Integrated and centralized international order management and routing system
- Business intelligence monitored fulfillment status dashboards with KPI monitoring and reporting
The Benefits
- Automated, international order routing to ensure 99.9% on-time fulfillment and
shipping - Error-free serialized DNA sample return process
- Real-time order tracking and back-end
reporting - Scalability to accommodate order spikes and promotional/holiday customization
Wisdom Panel Customer Case Study
No matter where we live or the language we speak, one thing in this world is universal: our love of pets. In fact, there’s anthropological evidence that dogs have been humankind’s best friend for 40,000 years, and cats have been purring in our ears for over 15,000 years.
Humans’ connection to our pets – a whopping 95% of pet owners consider their pet a part of their family – coupled with our curiosity about their genetic breed makeup, drives Wisdom Panel’s business. As the world leader in pet genetics, the company’s pet DNA tests unlock the secrets of dog and cat DNA.
Having tested millions of pets, Wisdom Panel now boasts the largest database of pet DNA in the world. The company’s pet DNA tests identify breed, ancestry, and any potential health-related issues. Armed with this valuable genetic information, pet parents and veterinarians can work together to tailor wellness programs that fit the one-of-a-kind needs of their pets.
With 86% of pet parents saying they would pay “whatever it takes” to keep their pet healthy, it’s no wonder that Wisdom Panel is growing faster than dogs gobble up peanut butter treats. And just as pets stand by our sides and support us, ALOM does the same for Wisdom Panel by expertly managing the company’s global test kit fulfillment and sample returns supply chain.
Due to ALOM’s well-earned reputation as the de facto industry leader in human DNA genetics and health test kit supply chain solutions, the company was the ideal partner for Wisdom Panel as it planned to expand internationally. Within 12 months of taking over Wisdom Panel’s domestic supply chain management – managed out of ALOM’s Indianapolis facility – the company expanded Wisdom Panel’s footprint into Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom. ALOM provides procurement, inventory management, production, kitting, e-commerce fulfillment, and distribution of the company’s pet DNA tests to these growing markets.
Making tracks across Europe and the UK
During the pandemic, millions of isolated and lonely people around the globe sought the companionship of a pet. Today, seven out of 10 U.S. households – or roughly 91 million families – have a pet.
Most of Wisdom Panel’s demand has historically come from the U.S. and Canada, where the company is established as the market leader. As pet parents, breeders, and veterinarians in these locales have eagerly embraced pet DNA testing, Wisdom Panel launched an ambitious plan to expand in the United Kingdom and Europe. Nearly 40% of households in this region – or about 88 million families – have a pet.
“Wisdom Panel is focused on emerging markets, and the pet DNA market in the UK and Europe is in its infancy and offers a huge growth opportunity for us,” says Karissa Carrasquillo, Sr. Supply Chain Manager of Wisdom Panel.
These regions present unique supply chain challenges, requiring a level of operational sophistication and excellence that only a handful of supply chain providers possess. Operating out of 19 global locations, ALOM has a proven track record of successfully overcoming these challenges and helping organizations seamlessly expand into international markets.
Wisdom Panel’s global expansion plans collided with the first months of the pandemic and Brexit, the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union – both of which significantly disrupted global supply chains.
“We needed a supply chain partner that knew how to deal with all the challenges we were facing as we began to expand,” Carrasquillo explains.
By building on Wisdom Panel’s successful U.S. supply chain strategy, ALOM created an agile, data-driven supply chain in the UK and Europe that achieves same-day order fulfillment and 99.99% on-time shipping.
“With ALOM’s global supply chain expertise, we’ve been able to introduce our pet DNA test kit to millions of new customers and solidify our position as the world leader in pet genetics,” Carrasquillo says.
Visibility and BI facilitate control and growth
Order serialization and traceability are the foundation of Wisdom Panel’s supply chain. The company relies on ALOM’s advanced serial number and labeling technology to ensure that pet DNA samples match the correct pet parents and results are available through an easy-to-use online portal.
ALOM’s technological innovation extends to its business intelligence (BI) tools, which provide Wisdom Panel with maximum visibility, traceability, and back-end reporting for inventory, order fulfillment, and shipment metrics.
With this data, the company can monitor its supply chain operations and access key performance metrics in real-time and rapidly adjust to unpredictable, unexpected conditions.
The data also provides marketing-specific insights – when a marketing campaign launches in Toronto, for example, ALOM’s reports provide a benchmark and help identify increased sales and shipments and determine the success of location-specific marketing campaigns.
“We take full advantage of ALOM’s business intelligence tools, which provide unmatched visibility into our supply chain,” Carrasquillo says.
