Uncommon James Used NetSuite to Manage Rapid Growth and the Strategic True Partner Approach to Pull it Together
Uncommon James
Uncommon James provides timeless jewelry, skin care, home goods, apparel and accessories in store locations and online through their website and other retailers.
HEADQUARTERS
Nashville, TN
OTHER LOCATIONS
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
INDUSTRIES
Retail
WEBSITE
uncommonjames.com
Introduction and Challenge
Uncommon James is a jewelry retailer with a flagship store in Nashville, brick and mortar locations across the country, and a strong online sales presence. Founded in 2017 by reality star, Kristin Cavallari, the company is internationally recognized and has experienced rapid growth in its first years of business.
With rapid growth comes challenges. Uncommon James grew so quickly that they outgrew their starter systems in record time. Their initial systems couldn’t handle the drastic increase in orders and inventory or the needed integrations with Amazon and other retailers. The systems provided little automation and didn’t have the capability to scale up to the level Uncommon James needed.
“As with any organization that has gone through the level of growth we’ve recently experienced, we had to do a great deal of pivoting and that ultimately led us to signing up for NetSuite,” said Ryan Evans, Director of Finance with Uncommon James.
The Strategic Solution
“When we first jumped into NetSuite, we decided to take more of an independent approach to implementation. That was not the right answer. We found out quickly we needed a partner and thank goodness we found Strategic Information Group. I cannot say enough good things about Strategic. They really understand what the word partner means. This partnership has been one of the best business decisions we’ve made,” Ryan said.
Not realizing the complexity of connecting NetSuite to all of a company’s moving parts, many businesses take an “out-of-the-box” approach, working with a provider who gathers basic setup/config information without taking full end-to-end processes into account (including integrations). Once NetSuite is configured, they turn the customer loose to manage the rest on their own.
In Uncommon James’ case, “We were managing the set-up and relationships with third party partners (add-ons to NetSuite to increase functionality) ourselves, which was difficult since we were new to NetSuite and didn’t know which add-ons would work best for our specific business needs,” Ryan added.
The Strategic True Partner Approach
When Strategic entered the picture, our experienced NetSuite consultants embarked on the Uncommon James project using our true partner approach, essentially becoming an extension of their team.
We worked with Uncommon James to define the optimal end-to-end processes, developed a project plan, and then co-managed the deployment of the plan with them — incorporating both NetSuite and third-party partners. This true partner approach, where we focus on end-to-end process optimization and manage the entire engagement (including third parties and data) as an extension of the customer’s team, ensures alignment with all parties and is what separates Strategic from most other partners.
Customer Care and Ongoing Support
“Strategic helped us streamline our order, inventory, and cash management by implementing NetSuite’s automation tools or by recommending and coordinating third party products that would work better for our unique needs,” Ryan said.
After everything was up and running, Uncommon James transitioned to a Customer Care Plan, which includes an annual system health check and business process review to ensure they are getting the most out of their NetSuite investment and it’s optimized to meet their needs as their business continues to evolve and grow.
“They continue to help us get the most out of NetSuite by advising us on how to increase efficiencies, introducing us to relevant add-ons, or providing education on updates and new features. We know we can count on them to help us if we run into issues with our ERP system and have exhausted all our efforts. It’s been a fantastic experience working with each and every one of their team members,” Ryan added.
“Strategic really understands what the word partner means. It’s been a fantastic experience working with each and every one of their team members. Our partnership with Strategic was one of the best business decisions we’ve made.”
Ryan Evans,
Uncommon James