Apparel NetSuite integration case study

Client context

A contemporary fashion brand had grown to significant revenue across DTC, wholesale and marketplace channels. NetSuite was their ERP, managing inventory, orders and finance. Their Shopify Plus store was disconnected from NetSuite, requiring manual processes that could not scale with their growth.

The brand's seasonal model created operational spikes. During drops and sales, order volumes surged. Manual order entry into NetSuite created bottlenecks that delayed fulfillment. Inventory discrepancies between Shopify and NetSuite led to overselling, particularly on high-demand items with complex variant structures.

Finance spent significant time reconciling Shopify data with NetSuite for month-end close, and could not get accurate real-time visibility of DTC performance.

The challenge

The integration needed to address operational and financial requirements:

• Sync products with complex variant structures (size, color, fit) from NetSuite to Shopify
• Keep inventory accurate across DTC, wholesale and marketplace channels
• Flow orders from Shopify to NetSuite automatically for fulfillment
• Handle returns and refunds with proper accounting treatment
• Support the brand's multi-warehouse inventory model
• Provide finance with clean data for revenue recognition and reconciliation

The solution needed to handle fashion's variant complexity: a single style could have 40+ SKUs across size and color combinations.

What Starcodia delivered

Starcodia implemented NetSuite integration using Celigo as the integration platform.

Product sync. Items in NetSuite synced to Shopify with proper variant structure. Matrix items with size/color options mapped to Shopify's variant model. Product images and descriptions synced from NetSuite product records. New products and updates flowed automatically without manual publishing.

Inventory sync. Inventory quantities synced from NetSuite to Shopify by location. The brand's multi-warehouse setup was reflected in Shopify's location model, enabling accurate availability and proper fulfillment routing. Sync frequency was tuned to balance accuracy with API limits.

Order flow. Shopify orders created sales orders in NetSuite immediately upon placement. Line items, shipping, discounts and customer data mapped correctly. Orders were ready for warehouse picking without manual entry, even during high-volume periods.

Fulfillment and tracking. When orders shipped from NetSuite/WMS, tracking information synced back to Shopify. Customers received shipping notifications with accurate tracking links.

Returns and refunds. Refunds processed in Shopify created credit memos in NetSuite. Return merchandise authorizations tracked in NetSuite with proper inventory and accounting treatment.

Financial data. Integration was configured to support month-end reconciliation. Revenue, refunds and payment processor fees flowed to NetSuite with proper timing and account mapping.

Results

Integration delivered operational and financial improvements:

• 70% reduction in order processing time. Automated order flow eliminated manual entry, enabling same-day fulfillment even during peak volumes.
• 95% reduction in overselling. Real-time inventory sync virtually eliminated overselling that previously caused customer frustration and cancelled orders.
• Faster month-end close. Finance now has accurate data in NetSuite without manual reconciliation, reducing close time by several days.
• Operational scalability. The integration handles peak volumes without manual intervention, supporting growth without proportional headcount increases.
• Real-time visibility. Leadership can see accurate DTC performance in NetSuite dashboards without waiting for manual data consolidation.

Services and capabilities demonstrated

• NetSuite Shopify integration
• Fashion and apparel expertise
• ERP integration
• Celigo implementation
• Multi-channel inventory management

Discuss a similar project

If you use NetSuite and want to integrate with Shopify for unified operations, Starcodia can share more details and discuss how the approach would apply to your business.