Bambella Designs

After witnessing a child having a complete meltdown about getting into the stroller, Jasmine Vanstone was inspired to find a solution that would make things more fun for children and a lot less stressful for parents. The idea? A collection of pram liners in colourful prints kids love, which offered practical protection from leaky bottoms and spilly mouths.

Her hobby business Bambella Designs launched in 2012 selling through a Facebook page. But within 18 months, the business needed her full time, so she buckled up, resigned from her social worker job and set the wheels in motion.

From social media to ecommerce

Not only were tots and toddlers enjoying the cushioned comfort of Bambella’s pretty designs, but the machine washable, protective pram liners were a hit with exhausted parents tired of towels, wet wipes and endless laundry. Business was growing – fast. So she invested in a custom built webstore. But then she found herself facing a whole lot of new problems.

“The orders came in thick and fast, but the inventory and accounting challenges were unbelievable,” says Jasmine.

Sales across eBay and her webstore meant manual adjustments had to be made to the inventory, but there was no way of keeping up in real time.

“We could sell 200 of the same item across both stores, but only have 100 left in stock, so customers would have to be told they had missed out. It was a constant issue,” explains Jasmine. The order process itself was costly and laborious – she had to hire a receptionist to work a day and a half each week simply to type order labels into the Australia Post database.

| Related Reading: Inventory Management for Omni-Channel Ecommerce Retailers

Neto takes the pain out of ecommerce

Jasmine spent two years looking for a solution to her webstore issues and was thrilled to finally discover Neto, “It’s changed my life and saved me so much time and stress.”

Neto syncs inventory across both her online stores and even offers a point of sale solution she can use at expos. That means there are no disappointed customers missing out on a purchase and she can keep track of her stock in real time across multiple locations.

Seamless shipping integration with Australia Post and eParcel means orders are automated, saving 12 hours per week and cutting staff costs. Plus customer tracking details get emailed after the order, so she no longer has to spend time answering delivery enquiries. “The time saving is huge – you get the opportunity to look at the bigger business picture because you’re not stuck on admin.”

There are other savings too. Jasmine’s bookkeeper used to cost $400 a week, but Neto’s integration with Xero means things have simplified to the point where that cost has halved – even though the business has grown.

Business decisions based on real results

Jasmine works closely with the Neto team to consistently tweak her site for better sales and conversion. And the solution has proved its worth. Tracking your metrics is critical for growth and requires solid data, something that Neto delivers. With a complete, real time view of the business Jasmine has the power to quickly make decisions quickly and process changes whenever she sees fit.

I check sales on the Neto Dashboard and if they seem slow on a particular day I start by investigating the cause – it may be an issue with Facebook advertising or I can boost sales by offering discounts and special offers with a few clicks of a button on my phone at a café – it’s that easy.

In the retail world, customer is king and Neto has made it easier for Jasmine to improve her service and build a community of fans. “Automated review emails are sent to customers after purchase. It saves me time and helps to build the credibility of my brand by encouraging engagement,” she says.

Set for global domination

Each month Jasmine gets closer to her vision of global domination. Bambella is now stocked in around 150 stores, there’s huge interest from Asia, Canada and the United States and she’s in discussions with David Jones, Myer and Babies “R” Us – contracts Jasmine says she couldn’t even consider without Neto, which facilitates the wholesale process.

Wholesaling with Neto is a breeze. I can offer different pricing for different retailers and set them up with their own account so they can simply login and place orders when they need to, which saves us both time. It also offers unique invoice templates and quote creation.

And the proof is in the numbers – sales have increased 60% from December 2015 to December 2016 and the business has sold (RRP) $1.5 million this financial year. It’s hardly surprising, that this booming baby business has been nominated for the Telstra Business Women’s Award (2017).

Neto is an all-in-one ecommerce, point of sale, inventory and fulfillment solution. Sell across multiple channels, centralize your inventory, improve your efficiency and more! Start your free Neto trial today.