Sierra Madre Golf didn’t start with a warehouse or a big team. Founder Bonny Riddle shipped her first orders from her garage, one at a time, handwritten notes and all. Now, the business fulfills thousands of orders each month, manages more than 500 SKUs, and runs a tight in-house operation. The lesson: You don’t need a massive staff or third-party logistics (3PL) to deliver a pro-level shipping experience.
Shipping Is the customer experience
For Bonny, shipping is never an afterthought. As a direct-to-consumer brand (D2C), every package shapes how customers feel about Sierra Madre.
“How we deliver the product to the customer is how they are physically, tangibly interacting with the brand. We want that experience to be seamless and delightful,” Bonny says. “We like being a small business that is able to fulfill orders very quickly. We like to throw in a little present and a handwritten note.”
For Bonny, speed and care are key. A late or wrong order isn’t just a mistake—it’s a broken promise. That’s why Sierra Madre keeps fulfillment in-house, so every box, note, and surprise gift reflects its standards.
One platform, real results
Sierra Madre’s secret to shipping success? Everything lives in Shopify. Orders, inventory, shipping, tracking, and analytics—all in one place. No switching between tools. No missing data. Just a single source of truth.
“Having everything in one platform isn’t just nice, it’s necessary,” says Bonny. “It gives me traceability from shipping costs to their respective orders. It’s a clear line of truth for accounting.”
Shopify gives Sierra Madre’s team the visibility and control they need to move fast and stay accurate—even as order volume grows:
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Order filters and prioritization: Instantly sort and prioritize express orders, so urgent packages always go out first.
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Bulk label printing: Print all shipping labels at once, right from the order page—no duplicate data entry, no missed orders, no wasted time.
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International shipping, simplified: Collect duties at checkout, print Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) labels, and handle customs forms automatically—no more switching apps or losing track of costs.
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Packing slips and checklists: Generate packing slips with a click and check off items as you pack, so nothing gets missed or sent twice.
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Carrier pickups, scheduled in clicks: Book pickups for all your carriers in the same place you manage orders. “Scheduling pickups on Shopify for DHL has been lovely,” Bonny says. “We used to haul five giant Ikea bags to the carrier store.”
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Analytics and traceability: Every shipping cost, every order, every destination—tracked and reported in one dashboard for smarter decisions and fewer surprises.
Shopify makes something that would otherwise be very complicated and time consuming, very simple and effortless. It’s so intuitive, it’s easy to teach, and, actually, our employees will discover new things on Shopify that I’m, like, ‘Wow, that’s a new update. I didn’t even know that was possible.'
With Shopify, Sierra Madre controls every step of the fulfillment process. Integration isn’t just a feature, it’s the foundation for real results.
How to optimize your shipping
Sierra Madre’s process isn’t magic—it’s discipline, systems, and a few smart habits:
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Prioritize and batch: Use Shopify’s filters to identify express and urgent orders. Bulk print shipping labels to save time and reduce errors. “I used to open a tab for every order and print labels one by one,” Bonny says. “My tip: Check off all the orders and create shipping labels in bulk.”
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Standardize your space: Design your warehouse for an efficient flow. Use checklists, packing slips, or pick lists to ensure accuracy and speed. “If you’re fulfilling in-house, keep all your product on one side of the picking table. Don’t run in circles. It’s just a few extra steps, but doing it 70 times, it actually does add up.”
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Automate what you can: Use Shopify’s tools to automate carrier selection, calculate rates, set package defaults for your products, and generate customs paperwork for international orders. This keeps your workflow smooth as volume grows.
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Don’t lose the personal touch: Even as you scale, find ways to delight customers—whether it’s a handwritten note, a small gift, or simply sending their order out faster than expected.
Sierra Madre proves that fulfillment isn’t just about getting boxes out the door. It’s about delivering on your brand promise, every time. With Shopify, the process is simple, and the experience is better—for you and for your customers.
