Integrated Magento eCommerce and SAP Business One Provide Perfect Fit for Growing Apparel Company
Inventory, Ordering and Accounting Processes Suffer with Outdated Business Systems
According to Kavio! COO, Lisa Tran, “Our staff resorted to a cumbersome copy-and-paste approach when entering data in one system and then reentering that data in another. For example, since we couldn’t open multiple windows at one time, we had to exit an invoice screen in order to open an inventory screen. Also, it was not unusual for the whole system to freeze, causing data corruption issues that caused downtime and required immediate attention. Reports were limited, leaving our management team with few tools to accurately analyze our business. Our numbers were in a constant state of flux and it took hours to reconcile data from the disconnected business systems.”
Kavio!’s eCommerce program was slow and unreliable and there was very limited integration with their antiquated apparel software program. Customers attempting to place orders online faced hours-long waits to complete the process. “Knowing that our customers want the ability to place orders quickly, we knew the time had come to upgrade the online customer experience or risk losing them,” said Tran. Inventory tracking was increasingly compromised by all the manual processes. Staff used a manual hand count of their inventory in the warehouse and then entered that number into an Excel spreadsheet. Plus, the system wasn’t able to generate warnings or alerts to prevent against insufficient inventory to fill orders or customers exceeding their credit limits.
“Thank you Softengine! Our new eCommerce solution is really impressive and our customers are delighted with our new website!”
— Lisa Tran, COO, Kavio!
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kavio!
Location: Commerce, CA
Industry: Apparel Manufacturer
Website: www.kavio.com
Softengine Product: Fashion One,
Integration: Magento eCommerce
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Lack of integration among connected business processes is a tough obstacle to overcome when a company is striving to successfully manage its operations. Inefficiencies run rampant and there is a greater risk of inaccurate information due to manual, redundant data entry in disconnected systems. This is precisely the challenge that Kavio! faced before taking corrective action.
According to Kavio! COO, Lisa Tran, “Our staff resorted to a cumbersome copy-and-paste approach when entering data in one system and then reentering that data in another. For example, since we couldn’t open multiple windows at one time, we had to exit an invoice screen in order to open an inventory screen. Also, it was not unusual for the whole system to freeze, causing data corruption issues that caused downtime and required immediate attention. Reports were limited, leaving our management team with few tools to accurately analyze our business. Our numbers were in a constant state of flux and it took hours to reconcile data from the disconnected business systems.”
Kavio!’s eCommerce program was slow and unreliable and there was very limited integration with their antiquated apparel software program. Customers attempting to place orders online faced hours-long waits to complete the process. “Knowing that our customers want the ability to place orders quickly, we knew the time had come to upgrade the online customer experience or risk losing them,” said Tran. Inventory tracking was increasingly compromised by all the manual processes. Staff used a manual hand count of their inventory in the warehouse and then entered that number into an Excel spreadsheet. Plus, the system wasn’t able to generate warnings or alerts to prevent insufficient inventory to fill orders or customers exceeding their credit limits.
Kavio! commenced a search for a new, fully integrated solution that could fulfill their manufacturing and distribution requirements and deliver a dependable eCommerce platform that maximized customer convenience. Another primary objective was the complete automation of the company’s warehouse and inventory allocation. Their quest led to a video presentation of the SAP Business One ERP software, and then to Softengine, an SAP Gold Partner VAR (Value Added Reseller) and SSP (Software Solution Provider). Softengine consultants visited Kavio! and conducted a thorough evaluation of the company’s business systems and processes. Armed with that knowledge, they were able to determine the most cost-effective and time-efficient way to build a comprehensive solution that met all of Kavio!’s objectives.
With Softengine’s guidance, Kavio! decided on a multi-phase implementation of the new system. In the first phase, the Softengine team focused on the installation of SAP Business One and the integration of Softengine’s Fashion One, a B2C and B2B product that incorporates a wealth of knowledge and expertise learned over decades of experience in the apparel industry. One of the key features of Fashion One is its highly flexible Matrix Manager, which delivers superior inventory management functionality and quick and easy SKU generation. Plus, Kavio!’s retail and wholesale customers benefit from a horizontal sizing and pricing “grid” that streamlines the ordering process.
When Kavio!’s wholesale customers place an order, delivery of that merchandise maybe three to six months into the future. How do Kavio! Does customer service personnel know if there will be enough inventory to fulfill that order? Fashion One offers an “Open–to–Sell” (“Available– to–Promise”) function that facilitates the ordering of specific items based on projections of inventory availability a season or two ahead. In essence, the system is able to predict how much of a particular item can be promised to the customer at a future date. This capability ensures that Kavio! can meet a customer’s desired timeline for delivery of an item.
During the second phase of the implementation, Softengine completed integration to the Magento eCommerce solution and to the FedEx and UPS WorldShip® shipping system. Softengine offers bidirectional, real-time integration of Magento eCommerce with Fashion One, enabling Kavio! personnel to manage all their data in one place, with complete Web synchronization.
With their system completely integrated, Kavio! staff never have to re-enter customers, inventory, sales orders, payments, or current pricing. When customers place orders online, all the order information flows instantly into SAP Business One updating the associated customer, sales, and inventory files. Then, when that order is shipped, customers can click on their tracking number to view the current status of their shipment.
Lisa Tran is quite enthusiastic when talking about all the benefits that have accrued from Softengine’s expert implementation of Kavio!’s new online ordering solution and the positive response it has received from customers. “Thank you Softengine! Our new eCommerce is very impressive and our customers are delighted with our new website!”
“Our new eCommerce system has dramatically improved our customers’ online shopping experience. Now, they can often place orders in just minutes and receive their shipments very quickly. For management, reports that used to take two to three days to complete now only take a few hours. Our warehouse staff is having a much easier time processing orders. Inventory tracking is now fully automated and our counts are accurate,” added Tran.