News

Through a series of articles, DEV presents entrepreneurs who have chosen to establish their business in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region.

For the last 11 years, Shopper+ has been helping Canadian businesses with its all-in-one order fulfillment service. With a warehouse located in Vancouver and another now in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Shopper+ can meet the growing demand for parcel shipments purchased on e-commerce sites.

Previously based in Lachine, Shopper+ had to find a new warehouse to meet the growing demand for their SPExpress delivery service and other complementary services.

After months of research, they stopped their choice on the Vaudreuil-Soulanges area to establish themselves strategically near the transport axes of highways 40, 20 and 30, making it possible to offer an accessible service for customers from Ontario, Montreal, and surrounding areas.

A long-awaited move

“We went from a 120,000 square feet warehouse to a 250,000 square feet facility. It really makes all the difference for us, for the companies with who we already collaborate and for the companies in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges area.’’, says Alexandre Desrosiers, manager of the Montreal distribution center, very optimistic about the impact of this move in the area.

To meet the growing demand of the Canadian population and to fill all the orders that were coming in, it was imperative to make this change. It was the only way to grow sustainably.

“Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges helped us from the start when we were searching for a location in the area. We also did business with Broccolini to find the land. Meanwhile, DEV was proactive with the City to help us obtain the necessary permits to operate our business in the region.‘’ explains Alexandre.

Unique technologies to help small businesses

Shopper+ invests in new automation and robotics technologies to meet the needs of Canadians.

“Everyone wants to have their package the next day. It’s now become the norm. With the technologies we use, we can fulfill the demand and send orders every day.’’, mentions Coco Sun, project manager.

Small businesses generally don’t have enough leverage, or the order volume, to take advantage of a competitive delivery price. Since the profit margin is smaller for e-commerce businesses, a decrease in the cost of delivery can bring a greater flow of orders and incentivize shoppers to buy from local businesses.

“What we can offer to small businesses is our purchasing power for delivery costs. We offer a very competitive shipping cost, which would be impossible to achieve on their own.’’ says Coco Sun.

No drop-shipment warehouse of the size of Shopper+ is available in the Montérégie Ouest. Until now, companies that wanted to do get that kind of service had to go directly to Montreal, where the competition is much greater. Having their warehouse located in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Coco and Alexandre are convinced that they will be able to help many small or medium-sized businesses.

Along with the different technological softwares, they also offer an all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs to manage orders from different wholesalers with whom they sell online. Each wholesale buyer like Walmart, Amazon, and others, use different platforms which becomes a big workload for small businesses. Shopper+ makes it so much easier for them with the SPExpress service.

The pandemic has increased online sales

“The pandemic has been very positive for our business since we have seen a 65% growth. Online sales have increased during this period and e-commerce companies have really understood the importance of this online presence. What also helped us a lot is that we already had hand and surface sanitizer, masks, and other medical accessories on site. It allowed us to do our part at the beginning of the pandemic when the government was looking for masks. We donated a large amount, in addition to wheelchairs for the beginning of the vaccination campaign.’’

This global crisis has highlighted the importance of online sales. In 2022, making it easier for consumers should be a priority for businesses. And if local businesses are to take their place in the market, they must have a competitive advantage when it comes to delivery.

More than just a warehouse

Shopper+ is more than just a warehouse. It’s also SPExpress, an all-in-one service for receiving, packaging, and sending orders directly to consumers for B2C companies.

Not only that, it’s also for businesses that want to do wholesale and need a third party for B2B deliveries.

“We even take care of making the pallets for companies that would like to sell on Amazon. As it’s very strict on its order reception standards, we take care of everything from A to Z to ensure that the products will be received and accepted. It’s a specialization that we love to offer our customers because we know it needs to be done by the book.’’

Alexandre Desrosiers also emphasizes the advice offered to entrepreneurs. “We know what our customers need, we are there to advise them and to help them in all of it. It’s our expertise we offer them so that they can concentrate on theirs.’’

The new SPExpress service is all about that. Their project coordinators are trained to be your shipping and execution experts. Plus, with the transparent billing, there are no surprises, no monthly charge, no minimum order, and no hidden fees.  We offer only the best for SMEs and start-ups!

No doubt that Shopper+’s move will bring positive spin-offs for the region and is an additional asset for the transportation and logistics sector in Vaudreuil-Soulanges!

Writer: Marie-Ève Lévesque, A-gence de comm
Photographer: Valerie Provost Photographie