Challenge

Hat Shack found that their customers frequently received crumpled hats because their packages would get caught in the postal processing machines. They tried sturdier boxes, and third-party package protection, but these solutions proved too expensive, and Hat Shack still needed to process individual claims, creating extra customer service work that burdened their small team.

“For every 20 packages, at least one or two arrived completely crushed. That's the main thing for me. I was using another third-party shipping protection. But for that product, I had to pay out of my pocket. On top of that, I also had to follow claims and everything all by myself.”

Solution

By adding Buyer Protection from 17TRACK, Hat Shack was able to offset the costs and customer service headaches of their regularly occurring shipment damages. This value-added protection is paid for by their customers at a truly negligible cost per order. More importantly, in the event of loss, damage or delay, their customers could easily resolve the issue by themselves through the Buyer Protection resolution process.


Hat Shack’s customers also benefited from 17TRACK’s package status notifications, they added the standard post-purchase notifications to their user experience. This way customers would know when their package is shipped out or the status changes without needing to email customer support.

Results and Next Steps

Hat Shack customers have overwhelmingly embraced the peace of mind offered by Buyer Protection — 96% of orders now add the option at checkout. Moreover, with 17TRACK’s automatic email notifications, shipping queries have dropped dramatically by 50%, significantly decreasing Hat Shack’s customer support costs.

“With Buyer Protection, customers can be their own advocate, and we don’t have to be in between. Additionally, shipping notifications have decreased my logistics questions by half. All in all, adding 17TRACK and Buyer Protection has increased the credibility of my brand.”

Freddy Ramirez

Owner & CEO of The Hat Shack

Company Info

  • Headquarters

    Bakersfield, CA

  • Industry

    Headwear

  • Business Model

    D2C Brand / Made to Order

  • Technologies

    Shopify, Affirm, Seel Return Assurance

The Hat Shack offers a variety of headwear for men and women, specializing in made to order straw and felt cowboy hats, in addition to hat care products, outerwear, and other accessories. They sell from both their in-store location in Bakersfield, California and their Shopify store. Since their online debut in 2020, The Hat Shack has earned more than 10,000 loyal customers.

Results

96%

Buyer Protection Attach Rate

50%

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