Formulating a Scalable Consumer Experience for Fatty15
Formulating a Scalable Consumer Experience for Fatty15 [Case Study]
Fatty15, a science-backed supplement brand, leveraged Stord’s integrated fulfillment and OMS technology to replace manual, growth-limiting operations with real-time visibility, leading to faster delivery and superior financial control.
About Fatty15: Formulating the Future
Fatty15 is a high-growth dietary supplement brand focused on healthy aging, built on a foundation of proprietary scientific research. As the U.S. faces an increasingly aging population with the share of Americans over 65 rising to 18% in 2024, the demand for healthy aging solutions has never been higher.1
However, modern food processing has inadvertently stripped essential fats like C15:0 from the American diet, contributing to a newly recognized nutritional deficiency syndrome called ‘Cellular Fragility Syndrome’.2 Fatty15’s core product, C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid), was discovered by U.S. Navy doctors working to improve the long-term health of aging Navy dolphins. By doing so they identified C15:0 as a foundational nutrient that strengthens our cells and prevents age-related breakdown.3
Co-founders Stephanie and Eric Venn-Watson launched the brand with a mission to educate consumers on the science supporting this newly identified foundational nutrient and provide it in a science-backed, pure, bioavailable, vegan friendly supplement called fatty15. Fatty15 was launched in 2021, scaled rapidly through a successful DTC subscription model, a burgeoning healthcare provider channel, and more recently through a quickly growing Amazon channel. To uphold its premium promise, the brand needed an equally premium, tech-enabled fulfillment partner who could execute its complex, high-touch customer experience at scale.
Manual Processes Stalled Multi-Channel Expansion
As demand skyrocketed, fatty15’s supply chain infrastructure quickly was under pressure to keep up. The transition from a startup to a nationally recognized healthy aging supplement brand meant that manual oversight could no longer support the volume of a business scaling across multiple channels. This growth-limiting setup created critical pain points across the business:
- Disconnected Systems: The company relied on siloed technology systems like QuickBooks Desktop and ShipStation that did not communicate.
- Manual Labor Fatigue: The finance team was forced to manually reconcile orders and import data between accounting systems, a process described as "very manual and labor-intensive".
- Kitting Congestion: Because refill kits were not pre-kitted, they were assembled "on-demand," creating a lag in the "click-to-delivery" cycle.
- Carrier Instability and Cost Pressure: Relying on a single parcel carrier limited cost leverage and negotiating power, making the brand vulnerable to rate hikes and unable to reliably optimize delivery speed for cross-country customers.
Operation Longevity With Integrated Commerce Fulfillment
Recognizing that their manual, high-effort approach was unsustainable, fatty15’s leadership sought a partner with both deep expertise and a powerful, unified technology platform. They selected Stord for its category experience, consistent team, and commanding technology.
Stord implemented a complete commerce enablement solution, unifying fatty15’s end-to-end operations:
- Seamless ERP Integration: Stord’s Order Management System (OMS), Stord One Commerce, integrated all sales channels (Shopify DTC, B2B, and Amazon) directly with fatty15's NetSuite ERP. This eliminated manual reconciliation and established a single, real-time inventory and order control tower. As CFO Chris Doyle noted, “We don't need to think as much about how inventory and order management for each channel differs, because it's all coming from one seamless integration with NetSuite. This was a huge differentiator for us when we were looking for that next partner to enable us to scale, and Stord followed through on that commitment.”
- Expert Kitting Strategy: Stord’s fulfillment team managed the complexity of fatty15's kitting requirements, implementing a strategic pre-kitting process for refill orders. This reduced the time needed to prepare specialized SKUs for shipping, directly accelerating the fulfillment timeline.
- Parcel Optimization and Control: By leveraging the collective volume of Stord’s network, fatty15 gained significant cost leverage and flexibility. The Stord Parcel team implemented a targeted carrier strategy designed to meet a strict delivery window without sacrificing margin.
Good Health Results: Control, Confidence, and Speed
The partnership provided quantitative and qualitative results that empowered fatty15’s growth team.
| KPI | Result | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery Speed | Cut one full day off cross-country shipping SLA. | Achieved a specific five-day B.O.T. (delivery target) for East Coast to West Coast orders while maintaining cost efficiency. |
| Financial Visibility | Eliminated unexpected costs and manual reconciliation. | Real-time billing and reporting improved financial reporting and capital management for the CFO's team. |
| Confidence | Gained real-time inventory visibility across all channels. | Enabled efficient purchasing decisions and allowed the team to stop worrying about manual reconciliation and stock-outs. |
| Cost Leverage | Secured superior negotiating power on parcel costs. | Aggregation of parcel volume across Stord’s network shielded the brand from rate increases and positively impacted the P&L. |
The emotional benefit was also significant. By entrusting their fulfillment to an expert partner, the fatty15 team gained the headspace to focus on their core mission and product development, including the following initiatives:
- Healthcare Provider Kits: Developed and launched a specialized "clinical strength" kit for practitioners, a project that took a year to bring to market.
- Multi-Channel Expansion: Scaled beyond D2C into Amazon and additional healthcare provider channels, including large healthcare clinics.
- Future Retail Readiness: Began strategic planning for expansion into physical retail locations.
Scaling (and Aging) at Peak Health
With a scalable, unified foundation at peak health, fatty15 is positioned for ambitious future growth. Stord continues to support the brand's key initiatives, including the development of new product formats and strategic planning for a retail launch.
By successfully integrating its scientific promise with excellence, fatty15 is free to focus on its mission of healthy aging, confident in its ability to deliver a differentiated customer experience across every channel, every time.