Fashion House Streamlines Sales and Operations with Bespoke App

Marble needed an iPad app, accessible offline by sales agents across the globe, which could be easily and instantly updated. They also wanted to improve the sales, ordering and fulfilment processes and make improvements to their stock control system and management reporting tools.

Refractiv used a variety of Google Workspace technology to develop a totally integrated solution that delivered cost and time savings, improved business processes, collaboration and mobility across the company and in doing so has helped facilitate the business’s continued success and future expansion.

Glasgow based international fashion house Marble specialises in feminine co-ordinates that appeal to women of all ages. Set up in 2008, the company had grown rapidly, developing a strong customer base, with over 400 retailers in the UK, Europe and Canada. Their product range was being promoted, in numerous markets and languages, using centrally developed printed catalogues and price lists. The existing ordering and fulfillment systems had reached tipping point which threatened the company’s continued success and future expansion.

Marble needed an iPad app, accessible offline by sales agents across the globe, which could be easily and instantly updated. They also wanted to improve collaboration and communication across the whole business and develop the systems to support their international expansion plans. Specific requirements included customer facing printable product and price lists and the capability to order and monitor stock in a very interactive way.

Other challenges included:

• Internet access was not always available so the app needed to work offline.
• The product database (master price list) needed to be easily accessed and collaboratively maintained.
• The company needed a consolidated and accessible photo library to store their twice yearly photoshoots.
• The app needed to be very straightforward to operate as users were not necessarily technically minded.
• Product and price lists needed to be translated into various languages, converted into appropriate currencies and also be readily available for in market printing.
• A more sophisticated and responsive stock management & control system had become essential The previous sales process, using printed brochures, hard copy orders, confirmations and invoices needed to be completely streamlined.

The smart use of existing Google Workspace technology delivered a powerful, reliable and easy to use solution which might otherwise have been unaffordable. Using a combination of Google Sheets, Google Drive, Google Docs and Google script and some really ingenious thinking, Refractiv developed a totally integrated system comprising a mobile app, back office applications and reporting, together with collaborative document solutions and corporate email. The system is available in the Cloud from any device, anytime, anywhere and its effect was transformational.

• Preparation for each season’s collection is much quicker and more efficient by the use of Drive for photo upload, automatically generated price lists and multi-language sample labels.
• The sales process has been revolutionised. Agents have the App available 24/7 removing the cost and delay of market specific printed brochures. All orders are immediately placed via the App and customer confirmations dispatched directly by email, all of which make for a better and more efficient customer experience
• Head office order processing has also been speeded up; sales reports are now available as Google Sheets.
• Fulfilment and stock control, dispatch and management have also been automated, thus optimising staff time and improving responsiveness.