How OluKai, Melin, and Archipelago Brands Reduced Return Fraud and Bad Actors with Yofi.

How OluKai, Melin, and Archipelago Companies Reduced Return Fraud and Bad Actors with Yofi.

‍OluKai, founded to create premium footwear that honors Hawaiian culture, integrates native island-inspired stories into its design and community investment. As part of Archipelago Brands, including Melin, Roark, and Kaenon, they aimed to elevate customer experience, foster deeper connections, and strengthen relationships with their most loyal fans.

The Challenge: Manual Processes Missing the Bigger Picture

Before partnering with Yofi, Archipelago Brands’ fraud detection relied on Shopify tools combined with manual cross-checks using white pages. These methods were ill-equipped to catch evolving fraud tactics like syndicated fraud rings and advanced address manipulation.

Key pain points included:

• No unified view across brands or fraud types
  
  
• Difficulty detecting fraud syndicates and identity linkages
  
  
• Fraudulent returns processed before items were received, due to lenient Loop return settings
  
  
• High manual effort with limited impact
  
  
• Frustration from operations and finance teams over losses and lack of control
  
  

Gypsy Mueller, Digital Operations Manager at OluKai and Archipelago, recalls:

‍"All of our fraud prevent processes were manual. We'd literally use the white pages to cross-check addresses and were making hundreds of individualized rules."

Despite initial beliefs that fraud was minimal, the team recognized the urgent need for better tools and intelligence.

Why Yofi? Lightweight, Fast, and Effective

Archipelago Brands evaluated multiple fraud prevention vendors, including large fraud providers. Yofi was chosen for its:

• Easy and fast integration with Shopify and existing middleware
  
  
• Unified fraud dashboard covering all brands and channels
  
  
• Lightweight, modular deployment that didn’t disrupt operations
  
  
• Immediate ability to deliver ROI
  

"The biggest challenge with bad actors was... simply catching them. I think when we onboarded you guys, I used the metaphor of I want more of a membrane and we have a net right now. Like, it's catching some of the stuff, but a lot of things are slipping through the cracks and it's kind of hard to just manually handle that." - Gypsy Mueller, Digital Operations Manager at OluKai and Archipelago

Results: From Reactive to Proactive Fraud Prevention

Yofi was deployed quickly with a plug and play deployment, integrating seamlessly into Archipelago Brands’ Shopify and middleware ecosystem. Key capabilities included:

• Significantly reduced return fraud and bad actors: Real-time risk scores enabling prevention of return fraudsters, bad resellers, and other bad actors.
  
  
• Saving hours of manual reviews daily: The digital ops and customer service team is freed from tedious fraud lookups, saving hours a day.
  
  
• Faster fulfillment: Legitimate orders ship without delay, improving customer experience
  
  
• Significant fraud reduction: Fraudulent returns dropped sharply, even those that bypass typical flags
  
  
• Holistic fraud visibility: A single source of truth across brands and systems like Loop and Shopify
  
  
• Routing AI tools based on risk score: Directing high-risk orders to humans for manual review and low-risk orders to AI agent for customer support
  
  
• Reduced investigation times by 60% with our clustering and risk explanations
  
  

Yofi has been able to transform a manual process into an automated system preventing fraud, saving time, and dedicating more time to loyal customers

“Orders get checked faster. Good ones ship quicker. Bad actors get flagged before they commit fraud, allowing my team to spend more time unlocking better customer experiences and drive more revenue with the time savings .” - Gypsy Mueller, Digital Operations Manager at OluKai and Archipelago

Advice to Other Brands

Gyspy’s advice to other brands:

“If you’re on Shopify, Yofi is a no-brainer. The value is in both the tech and the team. Implementation took days, not weeks. It’s not just a platform — it’s the support and customization behind it. You think fraud isn’t happening to you until you see the data. Don’t wait. Let Yofi show you what you’re missing.”

What’s Next: Deeper Automation and More Data Touchpoints

Archipelago Brands is expanding Yofi’s reach by:

• Integrating fraud intelligence into customer support tools like Gorgias and Sierra for real-time claims prevention
  
  
• Connecting data from order routing and warehousing to improve detection accuracy
  
  
• Exploring dynamic checkout messaging and personalized size recommendations based on behavior signals
  
  
• Developing advanced playbooks to reward good customers while penalizing bad actors
  
  

Gypsy envisions:

“More customer touchpoints! If we could feed Gorgias tickets, photos, or warranty claims into Yofi, we’d catch even more abuse. Today, we cobble this data together manually — I want it all in one place.” - Gypsy Mueller, Digital Operations Manager at OluKai and Archipelago

‍