Butcher Shop eCommerce Revolution: How Los Gatos and Local Express Changed the Game

“Our customers had more confidence in our online store when they saw our name and logo on it.”
—Brian Chiala, Owner/Operator

“Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse” is the second-oldest business in Los Gatos, California. Established in 1891, it serves its community by selling meat cuts, smokehouse sandwiches, jerky, and more.

They have always been a part of their community, and the Chiala family bought them in 1991. To the town that shares its name, its goal is to bring pride and great meats.

Before COVID-19, Los Gatos didn’t have much of an online shopping presence on one of the major marketplaces, on the other hand, consumers wished for more convenient options for making purchases online.

Challenge

“The onboarding rep did a great job explaining who we are and what we do to everyone so that nothing got missed.”
—Brian Chiala, Owner/Operator

During the pandemic, the number of online orders in Los Gatos went up by a lot. Around this time, they also started to realize the limits of the big marketplaces they were on.

All sales through the marketplace came with a really high commission, which potentially harmed Los Gatos’ bottom line. Plus, the owner, Brian Chiala, found it difficult to change their menu and prices online, because it required communicating with the marketplace rather than changing it directly.

On top of this, their customers often got confused by the marketplace. They’d start on Los Gatos’ website, then get redirected to a third-party marketplace. This caused many customers to churn during the buying process. That’s when they began working with Local Express. It ended up being the most rewarding investment opportunity available for his business.

Approach

“It is seamless, it has our name and logos on it. It makes sense.”
—Brian Chiala, Owner/Operator

Thus, Brian spoke to one of our eCommerce consultants. After discovering how simple it was to get started, he made the decision to open an online store that was powered by Local Express.

What was the process?

1. Before spending any money, he first tried out a fully working version of Local Express.

2. In less than a week, our team built a web store and a mobile app for Los Gatos that matched their brand and had all the items they required.

3. Brian’s store was online quickly, and it came with tools that made it easy to change the look of the storefront, list the products, and start selling.

4. Then, Los Gatos was onboarded onto Local Express’ inventory and delivery management system, which tracks items from the physical and digital store, and automatically assigns delivery orders to the lowest-bidding last-mile delivery service in the area. Additionally, the app allows for shipment, which Los Gatos primarily uses for less perishable products like jerky.

Los Gatos could begin delivering its products quickly and comfortably, as well as manage and track delivery with complete transparency. Furthermore, this would allow for:

1. expanding the business with nationwide shipping (Canada and the United States), 

2. automatically optimizing delivery time and cost with a multi-vendor system for regular and rush orders, and 

3. streamlining logistics and tracking with a fully integrated delivery driver app.

Later, Los Gatos took advantage of Local Express’ marketing support and boosted its sales through email campaigns and push notifications.

Results

“The mobile app was big because it’s something we wanted to do for a while. People these days have their phones in their hands, and it’s easy to get on the phone, hit two buttons, and place your favorite order again. Or look up your history and see past orders, and maybe order more.”
—Brian Chiala, Owner/Operator

Now, Los Gatos offers delivery and pickup options for their customers, and they’re seeing increased sales and satisfied customers.

They have got their branded platform with a matching mobile app without any hassle and they are using our inventory and delivery management system to make their customers happy.

The platform addresses the meat industry’s unique requirements, such as perishable goods and varying weights and prices. It has a very unique option that allows the buyer to order custom-weighed meats.

It also enabled Brian to manage his store’s inventory right from his phone. Before, he had to manage inventory in four separate locations. Local Express consolidated inventory, sales, and delivery all into one place. This is all due to easy-to-use POS system integration that allows streamlining operations and improves efficiency. What’s more:

1. Ability to record and process sales quickly and efficiently

2. Stock management and tracking

3. Customer management

4. Reporting and analytics

5. Integration with accounting software

The partnership with Local Express was a game changer for Los Gatos. It increased their online orders by 10-15% per month on average and also gave them that much-needed edge in efficiency when fulfilling customers’ needs through inventory management and customization options available across all channels: web, mobile, or pick-up location-based ordering systems. 

More importantly, it increased its profit from each order, due to Local Express’ low transaction fees.

“The service is great, I always get a response within 30 minutes. Whenever we have an issue, it gets fixed.”
—Brian Chiala, Owner/Operator

In today’s competitive market, it is essential to have a partner that can help you meet the ever-changing needs of your customers. With Local Express, you can be sure that you are always ahead of the curve.
Feel free to download your free copy of our case study with Los Gatos.