Process Optimization for Apparel, Footwear and Accessories Companies

Apparel, footwear and accessories (AFA) companies operate as manufacturers, wholesale distributors and retailers. Since your business is wearing many different hats, you need one solution that can accommodate the complexities of servicing multiple customer types across all channels of business.

NetSuite has brought together its product family and enhanced inherent functionality to meet these needs with optimized reporting, predefined reports and dashboards with omnichannel features so you can run your business more efficiently and profitably.

Let’s explore some of the highlights of NetSuite’s bundle for AFA businesses.

Deep Industry Focus

Over time, NetSuite recognized that a large segment of users were wholesalers, branded manufacturers and retailers who were operating within the AFA industry. These companies needed product features to address certain aspects of their business. This included apparel-specific fields for item, customer, location and transaction records along with the ability to enter matrix items to account for multiple sizes, colors and fits for one style.

As a result, NetSuite developed the AFA bundle to address these needs.

Here is what the AFA bundle provides:

12+ roles and preconfigured dashboards allow employees to quickly access the information they use most frequently based on permissions and responsibilities within the company. These roles were configured to empower the users most frequently found in AFA companies and because each dashboard was pre-built, employees can quickly access relevant business information which removes the need for customization.

Merchandising dashboard with the weekly style trend report

Predefined apparel reports, KPIs and metrics enable AFA companies to assess product performance across customer types and channels. They also provide real-time information into store performance along with key insights into sales and margins for a holistic view of the business. With out-of-the-box reporting, brands and retailers will have the tools they need to make informed decisions faster, including the following capabilities:

• Convenient scorecards to measure sales, revenue, profit, percentage of return, sales per square foot, units per transaction and more.
• Review vendor performance with scorecards showing number of POs and orders received, number and sum of vendor returns, average days late, fill rates and more.
• Track KPIs by store, region or district with succinct dashboards.

19+ preconfigured forms for item, customer, location and transaction records that allow companies to quickly identify key data for reporting purposes without having to manually create multiple forms.

50+ additional AFA-specific form fields accurately capture necessary data, such as merchandise class, National Retail Federation (NRF) codes, store size and style number, all of which follow industry-standard practices that can improve business processes.

Grid order management enables companies to enter orders for inventory and assembly items in a grid format, which increases accuracy and assists in fulfilling orders faster. This function is available across sales orders, purchase and transfer orders, as well as inventory adjustment.

Auto-charging credit card function helps retailers remove the complexity of recurring transactions by automating the billing and credit card capture of sales orders. When a retail account’s order is ready to ship, wholesalers can automatically create credit card transactions. Alternatively, if your business operates on a monthly subscription model, subscribers will automatically be charged when their monthly box is shipped.

Leading Practices to Move Your Business Forward

Armed with the AFA bundle and NetSuite’s core functionality, our Technology Solutions Group will also work with your business to ensure you’re aligned with industry leading practices that will maximize product performance and move your business forward.

Need Help?

If you’d like to learn whether NetSuite and the AFA bundle could be a fit for your business, contact us online or give us a call at 410.685.5512 to schedule a demo.