Smart Brands Laboratory

Smart Brands Laboratory accelerates growth with NetSuite

Smart Brands Laboratory was founded in 2018 in Lithuania to shape the future of e-commerce. The company is developing an algorithm-driven e-commerce operational platform that launches niche brands globally through direct-to-consumer channels and online marketplaces like Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart. Their solution minimizes false-start risks and prepares brands for continuous growth. This is all done with their operational platform, which includes product development, supply chain management, warehousing, branding and content, and sales channel launch.

Today Smart Brands Laboratory has grown to be an international company that has manufacturing and warehousing partners all over the world. The company’s  primary sales markets are the USA, Canada, and EU countries, and also growing sales in Australia and Mexico with future plans for Asia.

All subsidiaries managed with one unified business platform

Smart Brands Laboratory was growing fast, and with additional funding in 2021 they targeted at doubling brand's portfolio and tripling sales revenues. In order to have control over the whole group and be prepared for extensive growth, the company was looking for a unified ERP solution.

Before NetSuite, Smart Brands Laboratory was using multiple systems in different countries. With NetSuite, the company could manage all its current and future subsidiaries in one unified business platform, which would be a strong foundation for the upcoming integrations Smart Brands Laboratory aims to implement. The company is very open and willing to share their experience on digitalization with other e-commerce businesses.

Smart Brands Laboratory ERP team members share, ”At first, we were considering a few ERP system options. However, after having multiple demo sessions with different partners of various ERP systems, we ended up choosing Oracle NetSuite. We believed that for e-commerce businesses such as ours, Oracle NetSuite seemed the most suitable choice due to predictable TCO and licensing. It is a cloud-based solution, which takes off the burden of all maintenance activities and lets us focus on the business itself. Also, it has the overall recognition of being the top ERP platform amongst e-commerce businesses worldwide. Most importantly, NetSuite offers a very effective consolidation solution, which allows businesses to manage different subsidiaries with their specific currencies and tax regulations.”

ERP project is done successfully within a strict timeline

Negotiations between the two companies started in the summer of 2021. Smart Brands Laboratory had a strict and very ambitious timeline for their ERP project as they wanted to have the system in use before the end of 2021. What made Staria stand out was the local presence in Lithuania and previous experience working with companies using multiple systems in multiple countries. Staria was also able to execute the implementation project in an extremely tight time frame.

”Staria appeared on our horizon quite unexpectedly when they reached out to our CEO Tomas Unikauskis," remembers Ieva Gatulyte, ERP project team member and CFO. "At that time we were actively talking with a few Oracle NetSuite partners, so Staria had to catch up with us quickly. Such effective communication impressed us from the very beginning. Another advantage that Staria had was a great reference from their long-time partner and another Lithuanian-based company. This encouraged us to learn more about Staria. Lastly, Staria has its own solution for Lithuanian localization, which was a strong factor while choosing the partner for our ERP project.”

Smooth implementation process

”The whole implementation process was very smooth. Both Staria and Smart Brands Laboratory teams were effectively communicating via Slack on a daily basis, and all meetings were booked a few weeks prior so that everyone would be able to prepare for them properly. This let us follow the strict timeline we had. Overall, the whole Staria project team was very professional and guided us throughout the whole project. We worked as a team on choosing which solution would work best in our business case”, project team members explained.

Gatulyte says that having Staria as the NetSuite implementation partner has been a great experience: ”Staria’s active communication and guidance throughout the project really impressed us. I would definitely recommend Staria as a NetSuite implementation partner to other e-commerce companies.”

Although the first implementation phase has reached its end, Staria and Smart Brands Laboratory have been continuing to work closely on minor developments. ”The Staria team is always proactive, which helps us to move forward smoothly and does not stop important processes on our side," says Ieva Urnieziene, Project Manager, adding, "We are happy that throughout the implementation process and until now we work with the same team from Staria that gives us a stable continuity and keeps us all on the same page”.

What truly impressed Staria was Smart Brands Laboratory’s commitment to the project. “Implementing an ERP system and running your fast-growing daily business can sometimes feel like running two marathons at the same time, especially with projects where time is the key element. I was truly impressed by the dedication and professionalism of Smart Brands Laboratory’s finance and IT teams and the level of their involvement since day one. The great cooperation between our teams allowed us to deliver the most value on this project and to get up to speed quickly”, says Ivan Iakovenko, Senior Territory Manager at Staria.

Smart Brands Lab logo

Founded
2018

Business
E-commerce operational platform

Service solutions
NetSuite ERP

Web page
https://sbl.digital/

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