When it came to choosing the right tech to power their business, things used to be pretty simple.
Just a few years ago, e-commerce brands that needed support would simply sign up with a monolithic ‘single vendor’ e-commerce platform or ERP that offered an all-in-one solution to doing business online.
But things have changed.
Merchants are now operating in a challenging and ever-evolving retail environment that’s becoming known as the Hyper-Scalable Era. They require composable software solutions and technology strategies that help them modify their businesses in line with the emergence of new tech and changing consumer demands – and do it fast.
For a long time, monolithic platforms like ERPs reigned supreme but brands are now realizing, in their droves, how ill-suited that type of rigid solution is for modern commerce.
To succeed in the current and future marketplace, merchants must be able to rapidly curate a changing roster of best-in-class technology so they can adapt in line with consumer expectation – such as being able to jump on new sales channels or bolt on new services as they emerge.
More and more brands are now ditching the dated ‘all-in-one’ approach, and instead are tapping a new kind of tech strategy built around agility, innovation, optionality and scalability. To enact this strategy involves utilizing top technology partners who integrate and play well together, and for many multichannel retailers who operate online, this new approach has helped turbocharge growth, enhance customer experience and even provide a competitive edge against competitors who can’t adapt as quickly.
Wellness brand The Good Patch recently went through a lengthy discovery period with multiple ‘all-in-one’ ERPs before deciding to change up their approach by tapping a more composable and hyper-scalable strategy:
“After sitting through multiple demos for various ERPs we found that the “one size fits all” model was not going to work,” said Noel Espinosa, Operations Manager at The Good Patch. “Enter Brightpearl, the team was impressed not only by the capabilities but more so by how customizable the system is.”
Monoliths, by their very design, are not flexible or customizable – at least not quickly and cost effectively. That’s why we’re seeing a huge shift away from ERPs.
The trouble is, not all operating platforms are created equal.
Some options are too-good-to-be-true cheap while others are eye-wateringly expensive. Some offer seemingly endless (and unnecessary) functionality while others only provide limited features.
To help growing businesses make an informed decision, we spoke to five top brands to find out about the hyper-scalable tech strategies and partnerships they’ve put in place – and the impact it’s had on their success…
1. The Flex Company
What they do: Creators and suppliers of alternative period protection, including an innovative disposable menstrual disc
What they use: Brightpearl, Shopify Plus, Klaviyo, QuickBooks
What they say: “We had a goal of becoming a more modern, omnichannel business. Brightpearl’s ability to integrate with our existing tech stack and to stitch together the different elements of our business has been central to this journey. The native integration with Shopify has given us streamlined visibility across two Shopify stores and our other channels.
It has allowed us to better leverage our existing team and the platform has been a powerful factor in our growth.” – Aaron Alpeter, SVP of Supply Chain, The Flex Company
2. The Atlantic Cigar Company
What they do: Premium supplier of top brand cigars via online and physical stores, and founder of several exclusive cigar lounges across the US
What they use: BigCommerce, Brightpearl, ShipStation, NoFraud
What they say: “It was essential the operations platform we chose could integrate quickly and easily with BigCommerce. It was also really important to us for the software to be deployed quickly – we didn’t have months ,or years, to wait for a legacy ERP to get set up. Brightpearl went live for us in about a month without any interruption to our day-to-day business. It seamlessly syncs with BigCommerce and lots of other apps we use to run our business” – Paul Scipioni, CEO & President, Atlantic Cigar Company
3. Strength Shop Europe
What they do: Online retailer of high quality, affordable strength equipment. A global brand with businesses in the UK, US and Europe.
What they use: Magento, Brightpearl
What they say: “Brightpearl consolidated our operations in one place. It synced easily with Magento and our other sales channels at no extra cost. The platform also offered us accurate stock visibility – and even stock forecasting across channels – so we could reliably meet demand. Order processing was immediately transformed. We’re now able to manage orders in a fraction of the time, up to 75% faster than before and that’s been a complete game-changer.” – Ricky Shah, COO, Strength Shop Europe
4. Lovepop
What they do: Boston-based pop-up card company retailing online, at twenty retail locations across the US and via thousands of third party stores.
What they use: Shopify Plus, Brightpearl, Shipstation
What they say: “The level of integration and extensibility we have with Brightpearl would not have been possible with our previous provider. Being able to easily bolt on services has given us a competitive advantage and enabled us to offer extra value to our customers, especially in such a difficult time.” – Dan Nephew, Director of Systems & Operations, Lovepop
5. Snap Supply
What they do: Appliance repair parts specialist based in the US
What they use: Brightpearl, Shopify Plus
What they say: “We wanted a one stop shop for operational commerce that would automate data entry and allow us to focus on growing our sales. NetSuite claims to be a complete commerce system, but truly doesn’t connect. It requires a third party to stand between everything and transfer the data, and, when you start to evaluate the cost of customizing everything, it doesn’t make sense. Brightpearl was the only option as an all-in-one solution that could handle the volume that we were doing and was easily extendable with the other 3rd party apps and services we use to run our business.” – Nick Ernst, Co-Founder, Snap Supply
Brightpearl: Built for the Hyper-Scalable Era
Brightpearl is a Retail Operating System that’s purpose-built for the Hyper-Scalable Era. It’s packed with functionality that streamlines, simplifies and automates operations so modern brands can Grow Fearlessly. Some of the world’s biggest brands are already using Brightpearl — now it’s your turn. Book a free demo.
