Background
Sarah Chapman is a premium skincare brand selling in their boutique store and online website, plus through some of the UK’s most prestigious retailers including Space NK, THG, Selfridges and Harrods. The business operates with a single third-party logistics (3PL) warehouse and delivers to customers worldwide.
Cin7 Core inventory management system had been in place for three years when BlueHub was appointed to offer operational support, process improvement, reporting and strategic consultancy.
“BlueHub aren’t just there when something goes wrong. They’ve helped us with everything from VAT compliance and production orders to reporting and onboarding new staff. They cover a lot of ground.” Laura Cormack.
The challenge
When Laura Cormack, Senior Operations and Supply Chain Manager, took ownership of the system, she saw an opportunity to improve the operational system’s weak spots that were creating unnecessary admin problems downstream.
For example, a Shopify app used for pre-orders was in use however payment methods didn’t match those recorded in Xero. This meant monthly management accounts had to be manually reconciled.
On the supply chain side, incoming shipments were being tracked on a separate spreadsheet, not in Cin7 Core, creating unnecessary admin.
The solution
BlueHub began by working through Cin7 Core and the integrations with Shopify and Xero to identify where processes could be improved. The Shopify payment methods were remapped so that B2C orders fed cleanly into Xero. From there, BlueHub took on daily monitoring of the Shopify integration to take pressure off the finance team who had been raising queries with the ops team.
To improve supply chain visibility, BlueHub added custom purchase order attributes within Cin7 Core. This removed the need for a separate spreadsheet. The team could record expected and actual container arrival dates, track delays and view product-level detail on each incoming shipment, all in one place.
BlueHub also helped with product setup and Shopify listing processes, and ensured costs were tracked correctly. This meant margins could be calculated accurately and reported automatically.
BlueHub has also implemented an external advanced reporting tool for sales, PO and freight reporting; redesigned purchase documents in line with French VAT/EORI compliance; and offers ongoing support, knowledge transfer and training for the team.
“Having everything refresh automatically and link straight through to Cin7 Core has made a real difference to how we use our data day to day.” Laura Cormack.
