Multi-brand operations / shared platform
Running a multi-brand business
The implementation brief
A business representing several fashion brands needed to manage their products, sales and production together, whilst retaining visibility of each brand’s revenues, commissions and gross profits. The requirement was one operating entity with brand-level distinctions—not a separate software setup for every brand.
The implementation
Many brands. Shared functions. Distinct results.
Systems involved
ERP · Ecommerce · WMS
One shared ERP for the business
The ERP brought together product records, sales, production, stock, shipment records, invoicing and reporting across all represented brands within a single management platform, supporting teams across every business function. It also synchronised product and inventory data to each brand’s ecommerce website and received online orders back for consolidated reporting. Each record retained its brand association so commercial results could be reviewed by brand.
An ecommerce website for each brand
Every brand had its own online store. Each website received product and inventory data from the ERP and captured its own customer orders. Those orders went back to the ERP for reporting and were also sent directly to the shared WMS for fulfilment.
One shared warehouse and WMS
A warehouse is the physical location where goods are stored, picked, packed and dispatched; the WMS is the software used to manage that work. One warehouse served all the brands and carried out all shipments. Its WMS received non-ecommerce orders from the ERP and ecommerce orders directly from each brand’s website, so the warehouse could fulfil both through one system.
Shared business records
Products, production, stock and financial results, linked by brand.
- ERP → ECOMMERCEProducts + inventory
- ERP → WMSNon-ecommerce orders → fulfilment
Each brand sells online
Each website receives product and inventory data and captures its own orders.
- ECOMMERCE → WMSEcommerce orders + updates
- ECOMMERCE → ERPOnline orders → consolidated reporting
One warehouse ships
ERP and ecommerce orders arrive in WMS. The warehouse picks, packs and dispatches for every brand.
Business impact
This tech stack gave the business the multi-brand data and reporting visibility it needed, bringing six brands together with a clear view of each brand’s operations and commercial performance.
A consolidated view for leadership
Leadership gained a consolidated view of products, sales, raw materials, production, stock and financial performance across six brands, with ecommerce and warehouse activity connected to the same records. This reduced back-and-forth with teams and the work of assembling reports manually, giving leaders deeper insight for strategic decisions. Consistently recorded activity also built a historical dataset, making it easier to compare performance, recognise trends and improve reporting over time.
Connected teams within each brand
Each brand retained its own products, orders and commercial records within the shared platform. Connected information reduced everyday manual errors and time spent re-entering data or chasing colleagues. This freed teams to analyse which products were performing well, forecast future demand and identify opportunities to reduce costs and waste.
Less administration between the office and warehouse
Integrations passed product and order information between the ERP, brand websites and shared WMS. Routine fulfilment handovers required fewer emails, phone calls and manual updates, giving teams more time to manage exceptions and keep the data accurate.
Better control of costs, stock and production
A clearer view of material requirements, production commitments, stock and sales helped teams plan purchases and production against demand. It also made avoidable costs, excess stock and potential waste easier to identify, supporting better forecasts and more informed commercial decisions.
Elevate with AI
Proposed additions, informed by published examples from other businesses. AI was not part of the original implementation.
- Ask an AI assistant to audit collections, test buying assumptions and turn a merchandising instruction into a draft workflow.
- Forecast demand for new styles using patterns from similar products, then recommend quantities by size and sales channel.
- Learn from each shopper’s browsing and purchases to adapt product selections and introduce relevant categories automatically.
Tools to implement
Shopify Sidekick + Flow
Commercial analysis & workflow creation
In practiceMaggy London used Sidekick to audit 199 collections, inform its seasonal buying plan and build a weekly trending-product Flow. Shopify reports weekly reporting fell from 3–4 hours to 20–30 minutes.
Apply hereIf the stores use Shopify, use Sidekick within each brand’s admin to investigate collections and buying decisions. Ask it to draft the weekly top-20-product tagging workflow; review and activate it in Flow, which runs the automation.
Read Maggy London case studyautone
AI buying & inventory planning
In practiceRoberto Cavalli used AI forecasts to guide collection buying and stock allocation. In autone’s published case study, the buying cycle fell from three weeks to three days.
Apply hereConfirm connectors for the ERP, ecommerce and WMS, then map brand, product, sales and stock data. Pilot one collection: review AI recommendations for sizes and quantities, then approve purchasing decisions in the ERP.
Read Roberto Cavalli case studyNosto
Individual product discovery
In practiceMarc Jacobs uses Nosto to build a personalised storefront from browsing and purchase patterns, introducing handbag customers to other categories. The team tests recommendations whilst retaining control over merchandising rules.
Apply hereFor Shopify stores, install Nosto per brand, sync the catalogue and enable behaviour tracking. Add a personalised recommendation placement, set stock and brand rules, then A/B test it against the existing experience.
Read Marc Jacobs case study
These are proposed applications to this case study. Platform compatibility and data access need to be confirmed; Sidekick does not automatically access ERP or WMS records.
Anonymous case study based on real client experience