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.
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)
Overselling & stock conflicts
Shopify + WooCommerce stock not syncing correctly.
Backorders ~6–8% of total orders → refunds, unhappy customers.
ERP disconnect
Odoo ERP used for finance + warehouse.
No direct integration → manual CSV imports.
Warehouse often packed products that were already “sold out” online.
Cost fear
Prior consultancy had pitched “middleware + SaaS stack” costing €8–10K/month in licenses.
Client lost trust in “expensive software subscriptions.”
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.
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).
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