If you ask Rob McEwan, Mighty Ape’s Managing Director, what makes Mighty Ape one of New Zealand’s most popular online shopping sites, the answer comes quickly: “It’s about being fun, fast, and delivering real value. We want people to be excited when their package arrives, and we want it to arrive quickly.”
Every day, thousands of orders flow out of Mighty Ape’s warehouse in Silverdale, Auckland to customers right across the country. With over 6 million products available and a large portion held in stock, Kiwi customers can rely on getting what they need quickly. Most often the next day, in some cases even the same day. That speed and reliability, combined with a relentless focus on customer service, is what sets Mighty Ape apart.
Adapting to a tougher retail environment
Like every retailer, Mighty Ape has felt the effects of a difficult trading environment in recent years. Economic uncertainty, rising costs, new international competition and shifting consumer sentiment have all put pressure on the business. They've seen customers become more cautious with their spending, more value conscious, and more likely to compare prices or split purchases into smaller baskets.
Rob says this shift sharpened Mighty Ape’s focus on what matters most. “People are watching every dollar, so they want to know they’re getting value. But they also want confidence that what they buy will arrive quickly and reliably. Those two things - value and delivery - have never been more important.”
Rather than pulling back, Mighty Ape used the period to invest. They upgraded warehousing systems to make pick-and-pack faster and re-platformed their website to add new capabilities. The changes mean the business is now even better placed to deliver on its customer promise.
Listening to customers, every day
Mighty Ape’s DNA is simple: listen to customers, respond fast, and make shopping fun. And that ethos is embedded throughout everything they do. “I start every morning reading customer feedback from the day before. What’s gone well? What hasn’t? It keeps us honest,” Rob says.
This customer-first approach is more than just a mantra; it’s operational. If a customer places an order at 9pm the aim is to start processing the order by 9:20pm, ready to be loaded onto the next NZ Post truck, scheduled to align with when a load of orders is most likely good to go. By shaping their warehouse shifts and processes around customer ordering patterns, Mighty Ape ensures the business literally runs to the rhythm of its shoppers. The result is that customers can trust Mighty Ape to deliver with the speed they know and love.
Delivery as the customer experience
Retail shoppers always have the option of visiting a physical store for an immediate experience they know, trust and have a level of control over. For Mighty Ape, delivery is the equivalent of the store experience, creating those ‘moments of truth’ that build trust and brand loyalty. Rob says “delivery is not just the final step of a transaction, it is the customer experience.”
“Customers want to know their order is in safe hands and will arrive exactly as promised. That’s why delivery is so central to who we are. It’s the make-or-break of the customer experience,” Rob says. “Our aim is to do everything we can to get an item into the NZ Post network as soon as possible. If we do that, we know NZ Post’s nationwide reach and reliability means we can consistently deliver on that promise.”
Rob McEwan, Managing Director for Mighty Ape and Lars Vukcevic, Customer Manager - Premium for NZ Post at the Mighty Ape Distribution Centre
Adding value through innovation
Mighty Ape’s ability to adapt quickly to evolving customer expectations has been critical to its success. The Primate membership programme has doubled in size over the past year, offering exclusive discounts, bundled offers, and free or discounted delivery on most products. Rob describes it as “an ecosystem of products, services, and delivery benefits that offer value at a time when people are really looking for it.”
Pre-orders are another example of innovation meeting customer need. Particularly in gaming, where launch days create feverish anticipation. Mighty Ape plans in collaboration with NZ Post to make sure deliveries land on release day. “When a blockbuster title launches – like the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) release – our goal is to have customers playing it on day one. We pick, pack and, push those orders into NZ Post’s network so they arrive bang on time,” Rob says. The joy of unboxing a long-awaited game on launch day cements Mighty Ape’s reputation for delivering the fun.
Why NZ Post?
When it comes to delivery, Mighty Ape is uncompromising. That’s why NZ Post is their primary parcel delivery partner. “They’ve got the largest, most reliable network in the country. They can reach virtually every address in New Zealand, and they do it consistently. That’s what matters to our customers,” Rob says.
The two businesses meet monthly to review performance, talk formally about projects, and communicate daily through their Account Manager on operational issues. System integration via APIs allows data to flow seamlessly, while pre-sorting at Mighty Ape’s warehouse ensures parcels are ready for fast entry into NZ Post’s extensive network. Rob also notes, “NZ Post are the only ones making continued investment in technology, automation and infrastructure at scale, enabling eCommerce to grow and adapt to customers’ evolving needs. For us, the result is ongoing operational efficiency, reduced errors, faster delivery and a stronger Mighty Ape customer promise.”
Rob adds “Partnering with NZ Post works because we share the same goals, have a similar philosophy on supporting each other’s success, and we both focus on finding better ways to deliver.”
Innovating together
Working together has also produced genuine innovation, most notably the Express Tonight service. By listening to customers and anticipating their needs, Mighty Ape and NZ Post created a delivery option that provides speed and certainty, delivered with real-time GPS tracking. Orders placed that day arrive that evening, within a defined time window. “Express Tonight is a great example of working together to ask, what do our customers really need? And then building a service that delivers exactly that,” Rob says.
Such initiatives show the value of collaboration. Mighty Ape's customer insights, coupled with NZ Post's willingness to adapt and invest in enabling retailers, has created services that raise the bar for the entire eCommerce sector.
Preparing for Peak
From Labour Weekend, Mighty Ape’s volumes surge. Rather than dreading the pressure of Peak, Mighty Ape feed on the energy and excitement as the season builds. Rob frames it as “a sprint we run every day, not a mountain to climb.”
What Peak looks like changes every year, so preparation and scenario planning, is the key to making it successful. Mighty Ape analyses ordering data to forecast volumes, identifies the “hot stock” customers are most likely to want, and ensures staffing levels and systems are ready to respond. On the logistics side, planning with NZ Post begins months in advance. Together they model demand, add extra vehicles, schedule more frequent pick-ups, and plan for multiple delivery cycles per day.
“NZ Post have invested heavily in their network so they can handle the busy Peak season. Our job is to make sure they have the information, forecasts and volumes pre-sorted to make their side as smooth as possible. That’s what ensures customers have the same fast experience over Peak as they do the rest of the year,” Rob explains.
Lessons for retailers
Rob’s message to local eCommerce retailers is simple: start with the customer. Mighty Ape measures satisfaction constantly, listens to feedback daily, and takes swift action to fix problems. Layered on top of that is an unrelenting focus on value and delivery. “At the end of the day, customers want value and delivery. That’s why we push ourselves and our partners to keep raising the bar. It’s what keeps people coming back,” he says.
The Mighty Ape story is proof that when retailers put the customer first, and work collaboratively with partners who are passionate about the same things, they can not only survive in a tough retail environment, but thrive.
NZ Post services Mighty Ape use
Courier Express Express Tonight International export
