The Edinburgh-based company behind the legendary Morphsuit is celebrating success ahead of a busy summer of sales by ramping up its partnership with Amazon to target new international export markets.
MorphCostumes, which celebrates its tenth birthday this year, was created after one of its directors went on a stag holiday dressed in a spandex costume.
The attention he received on the holiday in Dublin prompted him to team up with some of his friends when he returned to Edinburgh. They bought material to create their own suits in a few different colours and the idea for the Morphsuit was born.
The company was an instant hit, and 10 years on, is now looking to expand into more international territories. Its founders, brothers Ali and Fraser Smeaton and their old flatmate Gregor Lawson, are now looking to new international markets for further growth.
In the early days of the business, the phenomenal demand for Morphsuits meant that Ali, Fraser and Gregor’s original warehousing and shipping processes needed to grow quickly.
To grow their processes at the same rapid pace as their sales, the trio turned to the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dunfermline to stow, pick, pack and ship their products.
The company uses a service called Fulfilment by Amazon, which makes selling across the world easy for SMEs of all shapes and sizes.
Businesses simply send their products to Amazon’s fulfilment centres, where they’re stowed and given Prime listing status to final shipping. Amazon also offers tracking, customer service and handles returns all over Europe.
Members of the MorphCostumes team visited the Amazon site in Dunfermline to see how their products are fulfilled. During the tour, they met some of the staff that have played a key role in helping them expand far beyond the company’s home in Edinburgh.
Fraser Smeaton, chief executive at MorphCostumes, said: “The Amazon team at the fulfilment centre in Dunfermline has been a fantastic asset for our business and we’re grateful for all the support they offer us.
“Amazon handles everything for us, from storing and shipping the costumes to customer services, which means we can concentrate on developing our brand and our products without investing heavily in our own fulfilment and warehousing processes.
“Our immediate aim is to grow the business internationally and that’s why we’re increasing our work with Amazon. It offers us a truly global marketplace to sell our products and we’re excited for the next phase of growth in our business thanks to this worldwide customer base.”
MorphCostumes visited Amazon as it gears up for one of the biggest sales events of the year – Prime Day on July 15 and 16 – to experience the journey their products take once a customer in the UK, Europe or further afield clicks ‘buy’ on the Amazon website.
At the site, the team met some of the staff that have helped grow their business. Amazon’s Dunfermline General Manager, Graham Allison, said:
“Our team really enjoyed meeting with MorphCostumes. Their costumes are outstanding and it’s great showing them how we help their business grow. A huge part of what we do at Amazon is helping small businesses with exporting beyond the UK. I’m really proud of the team helping a business like MorphCostumes expand to international markets.”
Thousands of SMEs in the UK that will be taking part in this year’s sales event. On Prime Day in 2018, SMEs selling in Amazon’s stores surpassed $1.5 billion in sales globally.
