Branded Mailing Bags: How Duo UK Cut Costs & Lead Times for Online Home Shop

The Challenge

Online Home Shop, a fast-growing retailer specialising in homeware, imported branded mailing bags and experienced long lead times of 12-16 weeks. They wanted to find a local packaging partner to reduce lead times, reduce costs and provide a faster, more efficient supply chain.

What we did

To support Online Home Shop’s goal of a more agile and sustainable supply chain, Duo re-shored production of their branded mailing bags from China to our UK manufacturing site in Manchester. This strategic move cut lead times from 12–16 weeks down to just 2–4 weeks, enabling OHS to order on demand without holding excess stock. It also reduced transport distance from 4,866 miles to just 7.9 miles—dramatically lowering emissions and improving supply chain efficiency. In line with their sustainability goals, we also increased the recycled content in their branded mailing bags from 30% to 40%.

The Results:

“Working with Duo has been a game-changer for us. We’ve seen cost savings of between 5% and 10% by onshoring our packaging supply chain, largely due to eliminating storage costs. The shorter lead times give us the flexibility to update our branding when needed, avoiding excess stock and ensuring a seamless transition during rebranding. Plus, having our branded packaging enhances the customer experience, making our brand more visible throughout the entire journey of the product. It’s reassuring to work with a local supplier who understands our needs and can respond quickly.”

Operations Director of Online Home Shop

Find out more about OHS packaging strategy in an interview with the Operations Director in our LinkedIn newsletter, LoopedIn here.