Case Studies Fashion Retailer

Shopify + ERP: scaling fashion growth with cost control and margin clarity

A mid-sized French fashion retailer (€35M turnover) faced a familiar dilemma: fragmented commerce systems, hidden costs from prior consultancy engagements, and eroding trust in technology investments. Their leadership set a clear mandate: restore control, reduce operational risk, and scale responsibly without locking the business into spiraling SaaS spend.

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Executive summary
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At a glance

  • Industry: Mid-sized fashion retailer (France)
  • Channels: D2C (Shopify Plus), legacy B2C (WooCommerce), Wholesale (Zalando, La Redoute)
  • Employees: ~60 (incl. 5-person IT team)
  • Annual turnover: ~€35M

The client had burned budget in the past with a “big consultancy” that promised full ERP digital transformation, but delivered over-engineered systems they couldn’t maintain. They came to us cautious: “Prove you can fix my problems without locking me into costs I can’t control.”

How the client found us

The client discovered GetDevDone through a referral from a partner agency that had worked with us on complex MarTech and eCommerce integrations. They were looking for a partner they could trust to deliver results reliably, after experiencing fragmented delivery and hidden costs with previous vendors.

Initial Challenges (Before engagement)

  1. Overselling & stock conflicts
    • Shopify + WooCommerce stock not syncing correctly.
    • Backorders ~6–8% of total orders → refunds, unhappy customers.
  2. ERP disconnect
    • Odoo ERP used for finance + warehouse.
    • No direct integration → manual CSV imports.
    • Warehouse often packed products that were already “sold out” online.
  3. Cost fear
    • Prior consultancy had pitched “middleware + SaaS stack” costing €8–10K/month in licenses.
    • Client lost trust in “expensive software subscriptions.”
  4. Margin blindness
    • Leadership couldn’t see margin differences between wholesale (Zalando) and D2C (Shopify).
    • Promotions sometimes ran at a loss without visibility.

Our Approach: Transparency First

We acknowledged these client fears directly and structured delivery to minimize risk:

  • Pilot-first delivery → 6-week, fixed-price scope. No hidden costs.
  • Tool independence → prefer open-source or client-owned cloud (avoid SaaS lock-in).
  • Step-by-step roadmap → prove ROI at each stage, only then scale.
  • Knowledge transfer → goal was NOT dependency on us, but empowerment of client’s IT.

Phased Solution Delivery

Phase 1: Pilot (6 weeks, fixed cost)

  • Built custom Shopify ↔ Odoo connector in Python/Node.js.
  • Covered top 200 SKUs only (high turnover).
  • Added basic reconciliation dashboard in Metabase (open-source BI).
  • Hosted on client’s own AWS → no SaaS fees.

Value created (pilot):

  • Overselling dropped 70% in top SKUs.
  • Warehouse no longer double-packed.
  • Leadership approved scaling based on hard ROI.

Phase 2: Scale-up (3 months)

  • Extended integration to all SKUs + WooCommerce + Zalando + La Redoute.
  • Added Python forecasting model (Prophet) running on AWS EC2.
    • Forecast horizon: 8 weeks.
    • Accuracy: ~82% vs historical baseline.
  • Built margin visibility dashboards in Metabase:
    • Split by channel (Shopify vs Zalando vs wholesale).
    • Promotion profitability tracking.

Value created 

  • Overselling across all SKUs reduced from ~7% → 1.5%.
  • Saved ~€4K/month by avoiding SaaS subscriptions.
  • Management now makes pricing decisions based on actual margin data.

Phase 3: Governance & Compliance 

  • Added GDPR audit trail (PostgreSQL + audit logs).
  • Role-based access for dashboards (finance vs operations vs exec).
  • PCI DSS v4.0 alignment for payment data handling and encryption.
  • WCAG 2.1 accessibility review on customer-facing storefronts.
  • Training sessions for client’s IT:
    • 80% of operations now self-managed.
    • GetDevDone provides “escalation support” only.

Value created 

  • Client passed GDPR audit in 2024 without external consultants.
  • IT team independent for daily operations, vendor dependency reduced.

Tech Stack (Transparent Choices)

AreaChoiceWhy not SaaS?Cost impact
CommerceShopify Plus, WooCommerceN/AExisting licenses
ERPOdoo ERPAlready in useN/A
IntegrationCustom Python/Node.js connectorsAvoid Linnworks (~€1.5K/mo)One-time build, client-owned
ForecastingProphet (Python, AWS EC2)Avoid AWS Forecast (higher cost, black-box)€150/mo infra
DashboardsMetabase (open-source)Avoid Snowflake + Tableau (~€3K/mo)Free (self-hosted)
CompliancePostgreSQL audit logging, PCI DSS v4.0 evidence packs, WCAG 2.1 accessibility checksSimple, transparentMinimal dev time

Total SaaS savings: ~€4,000/month vs big-agency approach.

Key lessons for our next Clients

  • Agency rates ≠ agency bloat: Yes, our engineering rates are not “freelancer cheap.” But we deliver ROI-focused pilots first, so you see value before scaling spend.
  • We don’t oversell: Case proves we can start with 200 SKUs → expand to full inventory, only after ROI is visible.
  • You won’t be trapped: Everything built runs on your AWS, your ERP, your dashboards. No hidden SaaS subscriptions.
  • Shared ownership: 80% of operations now handled by client’s IT — dependency risk eliminated.

Business impact

  • Overselling: ↓ from 7% → 1.5% (quarterly average)
  • SaaS savings: €4K/month avoided
  • Forecast accuracy: ~82% vs baseline
  • Exec margin visibility: 100% across channels
  • IT independence: 80% ops handled internally

Hidden aspects we’re open about

  • Forecast model is good, not perfect — ~82% accuracy is solid, but demand shocks (e.g., influencer campaign) still require human judgment.
  • Metabase dashboards lack polish compared to Tableau, but the client accepted “80% functionality at 0% license cost.”
  • Knowledge transfer takes effort — client’s IT had to invest ~60 hours in training.

Client testimonial (unedited)

“We were burned by a big consultancy before, so we demanded a pilot-first, no hidden costs. GetDevDone delivered exactly that. We saved thousands in SaaS fees and got real margin visibility. Today, my IT team runs 80% of the system. That independence is priceless.” — COO, French Fashion Retailer

Future growth roadmap

  • Expansion into digital product passports (EU requirement for apparel in 2026).
  • Preparing to connect marketplaces beyond Europe (Farfetch, ASOS).

Yuliya Mikitenko

Introducing Yuliya, the web development consultant at GetDevDone! As an Account Manager, she uses her creativity to help organizations achieve online success. Yuliya’s impressive writing skills bring you on an engaging adventure through the digital world, providing valuable insights along the way.

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