Here’s a story that anyone in my network that ships product… should read.
Whether you’re attempting to launch with an ecommerce/logistics stack ready for scale, or you’re managing growth and need to accommodate the scale already in your business… read the story re-posted below.
And why do I care?
Because our team at Kitsbow Apparel, benefit corporation found Ordoro in late 2019 (thank you consultant and stakeholder, Randy Hulett) while departing NetSuite (provided by a 3PL; we were leaving that 3PL to set up our own logistics in a new facility).
NetSuite, of course, sold us hard.
We also talked to consultants that knew this world (thanks Audrey Hicks) and they explained how much we would spend on specialists not only implementing NetSuite but supporting it as our business evolved. They endorsed NetSuite and also suggested Acumatica and other providers. In all cases, we read between the lines and saw a total cost of ownership approaching $500K. Simply not in the cards.
So we took a deep breath, and launched with Ordoro. We had to integrate into our stack with Shopify and in-house SQL manufacturing data, which was evolving (of course). Jennifer Billstrom, CPA was our consultant making it all happen, working closely with Ordoro customer support for our specific needs.
Almost immediately we found the functionality the same as what we had hoped from NetSuite, for our tiny business of 40 orders a day. Victory!
And then a couple of months into it, everything changed. In March 2020 we pivoted to making PPE. The only N95-type masks available in our part of the country. Then came the NY Times reviews of the masks. Then came 400 orders a day. For months.
Ordoro didn’t skip a beat. Yep, we scaled 10x in volume of shipments in weeks.
In subsequent years, Ordoro grew along with us. Our business went from a couple of hundred SKUs to 5,000 (sizes, colors, seasons). Multiple shipping vendors. Returns. Exchanges. Inventory changing every day.
And with a Just in Time business model and manufacturing every day, accurate inventory in our Shopify store wasn’t just critical, it was a base requirement to be in business. Or we would sell product that we didn’t have.
Ordoro didn’t cost $500K to implement and maintain. The customer service, even with our nearly-ridiculous special requests, was some of the best I’ve ever seen in 40 years of technology businesses.
So I can totally relate to Jagath Narayan’s customer who went to NetSuite and then came back.
Wow! Thank you, David Billstrom. Thank you for sharing these details about your decision-making process. I wasn’t aware you had considered NetSuite before choosing Ordoro.
I’m super happy that you chose us, and I’m glad we could support Kitsbow through that impressive 10x scaling. Kristen Tan loved you guys, and your team was a favorite among our support staff because of all the amazing people you have.
You’ve highlighted a critical issue that many small business owners overlook – the total cost of ownership (TCO). You correctly foresaw that potential $500K cost with Netsuite, but many less tech-savvy SMB owners do not estimate it correctly.
When I visited Netsuite’s booth at the RICE conference a few years ago, it was eye-opening. I realized that we offer much of what they do on the order management side, and we do it at a fraction of the cost.
But, of course, their marketing budget and brand presence vastly overshadow ours. No doubt! The better product doesn’t always win, the distribution is what matters.
So, when customers take the time to calculate the TCO and realize that we are the better choice, it truly makes my day.
Thank you for sharing this story and for all your kind words! ❤️
If you’d like to read more about Kitsbow’s journey with Ordoro, take a look at our case study.
We go into detail about the specific challenges that were solved and their experience working with Ordoro!
