How DCL's ReturnTrak Gave Doppler a Simple RMA Process Amid Rapid Growth
Noah Kraft, co-founder and CEO of Doppler Labs Inc., sold nearly 300,000 units of an advanced tech earplug in their first product launch. His idea was to give people a toolset to curate their own audio environment.
“We first launched DUBS Acoustic Filters, a pair of advanced tech earplugs that reduce volume without compromising overall clarity of sound,” he said. “Seeing the demand for in-ear technology, we decided to embark on something much more dynamic, which led to the development of Here Active Listening, a concept car product that focused on Real-World Sound Control, specifically for live listening experiences.”
In February 2017, Doppler launched its flagship product, Here One, which builds on the Real-World Sound Control in Here Active Listening, but also adds traditional headphone functionality, such as music streaming, phone calls, and more. For commuters and people who need help hearing in noisy environments, Here One is the first truly wireless 3-in-1 headphone, delivering premium sound quality, Smart Noise Cancellation, and Speech Enhancement.
“(DCL’s) ReturnTrak module allows for efficient generation of RMAs, and they’ve collaborated with us in developing a testing and refurbishment process to salvage returned units and get them back into inventory.”
Customized Fulfillment Turns Up the Volume on Scalability
“We’re very grateful to our partners, like DCL Logistics, especially at this crucial stage in our business,” he said. “In particular, DCL has helped us navigate several one-off logistics challenges, such as crowd-funding fulfillment and pre-order management. Additionally, they’ve guided us through retailer setup/routing guide implementation, EDI integration, B2C systems integration, and order support.”
Every fast growing fulfillment company needs a partner they can rely on to help get them over operational hurdles. Kevin Lynch, Business Operations Manager at Doppler Labs, says the company vetted at least a dozen other 3PLs before deciding on DCL, which has helped the company to overcome obstacles inherent in fulfillment.
“Now that the company has fulfilled our Here One pre-orders, we’re focused on scaling the product to as many ears as possible,” Kraft said. “The early customer feedback has been great so far. In the near term, we’re focused on getting a better understanding for how customers are using Here One in the world so that we can use their feedback to make continuous improvements and incorporate new features through regular software updates. As we look ahead, we’re focused on rapid growth, team building, and achieving scale.”
RMA Made Simpler with DCL's ReturnTrak
DCL Logistics has also worked with Doppler Labs to build a robust reverse logistics and refurb operation.
“(DCL’s) ReturnTrak module allows for efficient generation of RMAs, and they’ve collaborated with us in developing a testing and refurbishment process to salvage returned units and get them back into inventory.”
Lynch says Doppler Labs plans to rely on DCL Logistics to continue supporting their fulfillment and logistics needs.
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More About Here One
These products deliver superhuman hearing through the magic of Real-World Sound Control, Doppler Labs’ proprietary technology that turns what looks like a normal headphone into a hearing device that mimics the natural acoustics of your ears. This has never been delivered in the kind of portable, wireless, and powerful form found in Here One.
Real-World Sound Control gives people the ability to fine-tune the sounds around them to their liking, whether that’s through dynamically increasing or decreasing the volume of real-world sound or selectively enhancing or suppressing specific sounds – like a jet engine, baby crying, or loud voices at a restaurant – so that they hear exactly what they want.
While the technology found in Here One is incredibly complex, the feature set, product, and app design have to be approachable enough for consumers to want to use them. To that end, the team at Doppler Labs has been highly conscious of balancing aesthetics with functionality, making sure not to pack in too many features right out the gate. This has helped to overcome one of the largest consumer obstacles – the stigma of wearing in-ear devices in social or conversational settings.
“Being a consumer tech hardware company focused on distributing hundreds of thousands to millions of units a year means that our logistics challenges will only grow going forward,” Lynch said. “We’re confident DCL will be able to support us in this growth.”
