Skubana - Detailed Review
Fashion Tools
Skubana - Product Overview
Introduction to Skubana
Skubana is an all-in-one operations platform specifically designed for high-volume e-commerce sellers, particularly those managing multiple sales channels. It is not categorized under AI-driven fashion tools, but rather as a comprehensive e-commerce operations management system.
Primary Function
Skubana’s primary function is to unify and automate various back-end e-commerce operations. This includes managing inventory, orders, shipping, vendor relationships, and cross-channel analytics, all within a single platform. This integration helps eliminate human error, increase efficiency, and save valuable time.
Target Audience
Skubana is targeted at high-volume sellers, often those with multiple sales channels such as Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and other marketplaces. The platform is most beneficial for companies with 10-50 employees and revenues between $1 million and $10 million. It is widely used in industries like retail, manufacturing, internet, health and wellness, and apparel and fashion.
Key Features
- Inventory Management: Real-time inventory synchronization across multiple warehouses and sales channels.
- Order Management: Intuitive order and returns processing, including routing orders to multiple warehouses and managing direct warehouse, 3PL, dropshipping, and FBA fulfillment.
- Shipping Management: Integration with shipping providers like DHL, Endicia, FedEx, and UPS, and tools for finding the best shipping deals.
- Vendor Management: Automated purchase order creation and stock replenishment based on past product sell-through.
- Multi-Channel Integration: Seamless integration with various marketplaces and shopping carts, such as Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and BigCommerce.
- Analytics and Reporting: Cross-channel analytics to identify the most profitable channels and products, and to make informed decisions on inventory management.
- Demand Forecasting: Automated tools to forecast demand and optimize inventory levels.
- Automated Workflows: Automation bots to streamline workflows, including managing inventory on third-party marketplaces.
- Barcode Scanning and RFID: Tools for scanning barcodes and accurately recording data or transactions.
- Customer and Financial Management: Features to manage customer relationships and financial aspects of the business.
Skubana is particularly strong in its ability to manage multichannel selling, providing detailed data on each Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) and operation, which helps in increasing profit margins and improving organizational efficiency.
Skubana - User Interface and Experience
User Interface of Skubana
The user interface of Skubana, particularly in the context of managing fashion and e-commerce operations, is notable for its intuitiveness and user-friendly design.
Intuitive Interface
Skubana’s interface is set up to be highly intuitive, making it easy for users to manage their e-commerce operations without a steep learning curve. The features and functionality are organized in a natural flow, which is especially beneficial for end users and helps keep training and operational costs down.
Ease of Use
Users have praised Skubana for its ease of use. The platform assigns a point person to guide users through the setup and use of the system, which is particularly helpful for smaller companies or those without extensive technical resources. This hands-on approach ensures that even technically challenged users can operate the platform with minimal effort.
Automation and Customization
Skubana’s orderbots are a key feature that enhances the user experience. These orderbots allow users to set automated rules for smart fulfillment, such as identifying VIP orders and automatically adding special items or selecting express shipping methods. This automation reduces manual intervention and minimizes errors, making the process smoother and more efficient.
Multiwarehouse and Multichannel Management
The platform seamlessly integrates with multiple warehouses and sales channels, including Shopify, Amazon, and other marketplaces. This integration enables users to manage their inventory and orders across different channels from a single interface, ensuring accurate data and efficient fulfillment processes.
Analytics and Business Intelligence
Skubana also provides business intelligence tools that allow users to track revenue, stock levels, and other key metrics. These tools offer insights into true profits, hidden losses, and margins, helping users make informed decisions to optimize their business operations.
Customer Support
While the interface is user-friendly, Skubana also offers highly responsive customer support. Although support may not be available on weekends, users can reach out via email for assistance with critical issues. The support team is praised for their helpfulness in solving problems and guiding users through the platform’s features.
Overall, Skubana’s user interface is designed to be intuitive, easy to use, and highly functional, making it an excellent choice for managing e-commerce operations in the fashion industry. Its automated features, multiwarehouse and multichannel integrations, and analytical tools all contribute to a positive and efficient user experience.
Skubana - Key Features and Functionality
Skubana Overview
Skubana is a comprehensive operations platform tailored for high-volume e-commerce sellers, offering a wide range of features that streamline and automate various aspects of their business. Here are the main features and how they work:Inventory Management
Skubana provides real-time inventory updates based on intelligent shipping zone and sales channel allocation rules. This feature ensures that inventory levels are accurately reflected across all sales channels, preventing overselling and stock shortages.Order Management
Skubana unifies order processing from multiple channels into a single dashboard. Orders from various marketplaces, such as Amazon, eBay, and Shopify, are consolidated and processed automatically, with real-time status updates. This automation helps in routing orders to multiple warehouses, including direct warehouse, 3PL, dropshipping, and FBA, making shipping more flexible and efficient.Shipping Management
The platform integrates with various shipping providers like DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS. Skubana allows for batch shipping, creation of customized packing slips, return labels, and emails, which improves customer service and retention. It also supports rate shopping among all available suppliers to optimize shipping costs.Vendor Management
Skubana automates the purchase order (PO) creation process based on past product sell-through data, eliminating data entry errors. It also enables replenishing stock levels or dropshipping with just a few clicks. Vendor interactions are tracked, and purchase planning is optimized through automated PO generation and inventory restocking.Multi-Channel Integration
Skubana integrates seamlessly with multiple sales channels, including eCommerce sites, marketplaces (like Amazon, eBay, Walmart), retail, brick & mortar, and pop-up stores. This integration allows sellers to manage all their channels from one place, ensuring unified operations and real-time inventory updates.Analytics and Reporting
The platform offers cross-channel analytics, providing detailed insights into revenue, orders, and units sold. This feature helps sellers identify the most profitable channels and products, and decide when to offload underperforming inventory. Skubana also includes forecasting tools that analyze replenishment patterns to prevent stock overspending and overselling.Automated Workflows
Skubana automates several key processes, such as order processing, inventory replenishment, and purchase order creation. The platform uses AI to learn from inventory replenishment patterns and make intelligent recommendations. Features like Orderbots can be configured to automate various parameters, ensuring synchronized operations and preventing overselling.Product Information Management
Skubana allows for the management of product information in a centralized database. This includes product bundling and tracking tools, which help in managing complex product sets and ensuring accurate inventory tracking.Warehouse Management
The platform supports multi-warehouse management, allowing orders to be routed to different warehouses based on the seller’s fulfillment strategy. It ensures real-time inventory updates across all warehouses, making inventory management more efficient.Financial Management
Skubana integrates with accounting and ERP software to automate the export of Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and financial reporting. This integration enhances financial transparency and helps in making informed business decisions.Customizable Dashboards and API Integrations
Users can create customizable dashboards to monitor key metrics and performance indicators. Skubana also offers API integrations, allowing for seamless integration with other software and systems, such as QuickBooks and Xero.AI Integration
While Skubana does not explicitly highlight AI as a core feature, it does use intelligent algorithms to automate various processes. For example, it learns from inventory replenishment patterns to make recommendations and automates PO creation based on sales data and lead times. These features, though not labeled as AI-driven, leverage data analytics and automation to streamline operations.Conclusion
In summary, Skubana is a powerful tool that centralizes and automates many aspects of e-commerce operations, making it easier for high-volume sellers to manage their businesses efficiently across multiple channels. Skubana - Performance and Accuracy
Performance
Skubana, now known as Extensiv Order Manager, is highly regarded for its comprehensive suite of tools that streamline e-commerce operations. Here are some performance highlights:Multichannel Integration
Skubana integrates seamlessly with various platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, allowing businesses to manage orders, inventory, and analytics across multiple sales channels.Automation
The platform offers powerful automation tools for order routing, accounting, shipping, and inventory management. This automation helps in improving operational efficiency and reducing overhead costs.Real-Time Analytics
Skubana provides accurate and real-time analytics to track performance, enabling businesses to make informed decisions. It centralizes insights and visibility, making it easier to manage e-commerce operations.Accuracy
In terms of accuracy, Skubana is notable for:Inventory Tracking
The platform allows for precise tracking of inventory levels and locations in real-time. This ensures that businesses have accurate information about their stock at any given time.Demand Forecasting
Skubana helps in forecasting future demand based on cross-channel sales velocity and available inventory, which aids in making accurate purchasing decisions.Customization
With an open API, Skubana allows for customization to accommodate any operations structure or existing workflows, ensuring that the data and processes are accurate and aligned with the business needs.Limitations and Areas for Improvement
While Skubana is a powerful tool, there are some considerations:Acquired by Extensiv
Skubana was acquired by Extensiv in 2021, which might have led to some changes in the platform’s focus or integration capabilities. However, this has generally been seen as a positive move, enhancing the platform’s capabilities.Cost and Scalability
The cost of using Skubana can be significant, especially for smaller businesses. While it offers scalable solutions, the pricing might be a barrier for some users.Integration with Specific Fashion Tools
There is no specific information available on how Skubana integrates with AI-driven tools unique to the fashion industry. However, its general capabilities in inventory and order management make it a versatile tool that can be adapted to various sectors, including fashion. In summary, Skubana (Extensiv Order Manager) is a highly performant and accurate tool for managing e-commerce operations, including inventory and order management. While it may not have specific features tailored to AI-driven fashion tools, its broad capabilities make it a valuable asset for businesses across various industries. Skubana - Pricing and Plans
Plans and Pricing
Starter Plan
- This plan is ideal for small businesses or those just starting out.
- Priced at $499 per month.
- Includes essential features such as:
- Order management
- Inventory control
- Shipping integration
Growth Plan
- Suitable for businesses experiencing growth and needing more advanced features.
- Priced at $899 per month.
- Includes all features from the Starter Plan, plus:
- Demand forecasting
- Centralized insights
Enterprise Plan
- Designed for larger businesses with complex operations.
- Pricing is customized based on the business requirements.
- Includes all features from the Growth Plan, plus additional benefits such as:
- End-to-end validation
- Exceptional customer service
Key Features Across Plans
- Inventory Management: Real-time inventory updates and synchronization across multiple channels.
- Order Management: Routing orders to multiple warehouses, including direct warehouse, 3PL, drop-shipping, and FBA.
- Shipping Management: Batch shipping and customized packing slips.
- Vendor Management: Automated purchase order creation and stock replenishment.
- Analytics and Reporting: Cross-channel analytics to identify profitable channels and products.
- Automated Workflows: Automation bots for streamlining workflows.
- Multi-Channel Integration: Integration with various marketplaces and sales channels.
Additional Notes
- Free Trial: Skubana offers a free trial for users to test the platform before committing to a plan.
- Custom Pricing: The Enterprise Plan is priced based on the specific needs of the business, making it flexible for larger enterprises.
- No Long-Term Contracts: Skubana does not require long-term contracts, providing flexibility for businesses.
Skubana - Integration and Compatibility
Skubana Overview
Skubana, now known as Extensiv Order Manager, is a comprehensive eCommerce inventory and order management system that offers extensive integration capabilities, making it highly compatible across various platforms and devices.
Multichannel Integrations
Skubana integrates with a wide range of eCommerce platforms, marketplaces, and warehouses. It supports native integrations with popular platforms such as Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Groupon, Houzz, Jet, Newegg, Sears, and Target.
For shopping carts, it integrates seamlessly with 3dcart, BigCommerce, Magento, Shopify, and Shopify Plus.
Marketplace and Retail Integrations
Skubana connects almost every marketplace, warehouse, and fulfillment flow, allowing you to manage your online business from a single dashboard. This includes integrations with retail, wholesale, brick & mortar, and pop-up stores.
Shipping and Logistics
The system integrates with major shipping providers like DHL, Endicia, FedEx, and UPS, ensuring smooth order fulfillment and shipping processes. For example, the integration with Newegg Logistics allows for automatic order downloading, inventory syncing, and tracking number generation.
Automation and Order Management
Skubana automates various steps in order management, such as synchronizing operations, configuring Orderbots for key parameters, and making intelligent inventory replenishment recommendations. It also automates purchase orders, prevents overselling, and manages bundle breakdowns and order splitting.
Zapier Integrations
In addition to its native integrations, Skubana can connect with over 1,000 web tools via Zapier. This allows you to automate tasks like subscribing new customers to MailChimp or sending Gmail notifications upon shipment, further streamlining your logistics and focus on selling.
Real-Time Inventory Updates
Skubana ensures that your warehouses’ stocks are automatically updated in real time, and all orders are received in the same inbox, regardless of their origin. This unified dashboard provides cross-channel reporting with detailed information on revenue, orders, and units sold.
Custom Integrations
Skubana offers an API for building custom integrations, which is particularly useful for businesses with unique requirements. This flexibility allows you to tailor the system to your specific needs.
Conclusion
In summary, Skubana’s extensive integration capabilities make it a versatile tool for managing inventory and orders across multiple channels, platforms, and devices, ensuring that your eCommerce business runs efficiently and effectively.
Skubana - Customer Support and Resources
Skubana Customer Support
Customer Support Options
- Skubana provides world-class customer support through multiple channels. Users can reach out via email, and the support team aims to respond within 1 business day.
- The platform does not specify phone support, but the emphasis is on quick and effective email responses.
Additional Resources
- Extensive Online Library: Skubana offers an extensive library of detailed online help resources, including FAQs, online user guides, video FAQs, and tips. These resources are designed to help users get the most out of the software.
- Comprehensive Guides: Users can find detailed guides on how to set up and use the platform, which includes information on integrating multiple marketplaces and shopping carts.
- Support for Multiple Marketplaces: Skubana allows users to integrate as many marketplaces and shopping carts as needed, which is particularly useful for businesses looking to expand their reach.
Billing and Account Management
- Skubana’s billing cycle is monthly, starting from the first day of the month and ending on the last day. This ensures a consistent and predictable billing schedule.
Conclusion
While the provided sources do not specifically mention AI-driven features for the fashion industry within Skubana, the platform’s general support and resource structure is well-suited to support businesses across various sectors, including fashion. If you have specific questions or issues, the support options and resources available are designed to be helpful and responsive.
Skubana - Pros and Cons
Advantages
Multi-Channel, Multi-Warehouse Inventory Synchronization
Skubana offers real-time inventory updates based on intelligent shipping zone and sales channel allocation rules, which is crucial for managing inventory across multiple channels and warehouses.
Intuitive Order & Returns Processing
The platform allows for flexible order routing to multiple warehouses, supporting various fulfillment methods such as direct warehouse, 3PL, drop-shipping, and FBA. It also streamlines batch shipping, packing slips, return labels, and emails, enhancing customer service and retention.
Complete Vendor & Purchase Order Workflow
Skubana automates purchase order creation based on past product sell-through, reducing data entry errors and enabling quick stock replenishment or dropshipping.
Cross-Channel Analytics
The platform provides marketplace insights, helping you identify the most profitable channels and products, and decide when to offload underperforming inventory. This analytics capability is essential for making informed business decisions.
Comprehensive Support and Training
Skubana offers extensive onboarding, long-term client success managers, and a highly praised support package, ensuring users can effectively use the platform.
Disadvantages
Limited Feature Set Compared to Some Competitors
While Skubana is highly effective for multichannel retailers, it lacks certain features such as a mobile app, native barcode scanning, POS, or accounting integrations, which might be important for some users.
No AI-Driven Fashion Design Tools
Skubana does not include AI tools specifically for fashion design, such as trend prediction, style generation, or personalized customer recommendations, which are available in other AI-driven fashion tools.
Custom Pricing Model
While the custom pricing model can be competitive, it may require a more detailed consultation to determine the exact costs, which could be a drawback for some users looking for transparent pricing.
In summary, Skubana is a powerful tool for managing e-commerce operations, especially for multichannel retailers, but it does not offer the specific AI-driven fashion design features that some other platforms provide.
Skubana - Comparison with Competitors
Skubana
Skubana is primarily an inventory and order management system, helping businesses manage their stock, orders, and shipping across multiple channels. While it is highly effective in streamlining logistics and inventory management, it does not offer the same level of AI-driven design, trend forecasting, or personalized styling as some of the other tools mentioned.AI Tools for Fashion Design
FASHWire
FASHWire uses AI to analyze global market data, consumer behavior, and historical patterns to help fashion brands make data-driven decisions. This tool is more focused on market intelligence and trend analysis, which is different from Skubana’s operational focus.Optitex
Optitex transforms digital pattern making with AI-assisted grading and marker making, reducing material waste and speeding up production. It also offers virtual fitting capabilities, which are not features of Skubana.StyleSage
StyleSage provides comprehensive market intelligence by analyzing data from thousands of online stores to track pricing, discounts, and consumer trends. This is more about competitive pricing and market analysis, unlike Skubana’s inventory management.YesPlz
YesPlz is a virtual personal shopper that offers personalized product recommendations based on customer preferences and shopping behavior. It enhances the shopping experience through interactive visual content, which is not a feature of Skubana.Heuritech
Heuritech uses AI to predict fashion trends by analyzing social media and search data. This helps brands stay ahead of the competition by providing insights into consumer behavior, a function that Skubana does not perform.Ablo
Ablo democratizes fashion design by enabling businesses to create and scale their brands collaboratively. It offers advanced design capabilities and co-creation tools, which are quite different from Skubana’s operational management.Silk AI
Silk AI tools, such as the Silk AI Clothing Generator and SilkAI Stylist, focus on real-time style creation, on-demand styling, and personalized recommendations. These tools enhance the shopping experience and increase order value, but they do not manage inventory or orders like Skubana.Unique Features and Alternatives
Inventory Management
Skubana excels in managing inventory and orders, but if you need AI-driven tools for fashion design, trend forecasting, or personalized styling, you might consider tools like Optitex, Heuritech, or Silk AI.Market Intelligence
For market intelligence and competitive pricing analysis, StyleSage or FASHWire would be more suitable.Personalized Shopping
YesPlz and Silk AI offer advanced personalized shopping experiences, which are not part of Skubana’s features.Design Collaboration
Ablo is a better choice if you need collaborative design tools and brand creation capabilities. In summary, while Skubana is excellent for inventory and order management, if you are looking for AI tools that specifically enhance fashion design, trend forecasting, or personalized customer experiences, you would need to consider the other tools mentioned above. Skubana - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about Skubana
Q1: What is Skubana and how does it help fashion and e-commerce businesses?
Skubana is an all-in-one operations platform designed for high-volume sellers to run and automate their business. It unifies various back-end e-commerce operations, including inventory management, order processing, shipping, vendor management, and cross-channel analytics. This helps fashion and e-commerce businesses eliminate human error, increase efficiency, and make informed decisions based on real-time data.Q2: What are the key features of Skubana?
Skubana offers a range of features such as inventory management, order management, shipping management, vendor management, purchase order management, warehouse management, multi-channel integration, analytics and reporting, demand forecasting, returns management, automated workflows, product information management, barcode scanning, kitting and bundling, dropshipping support, customer management, financial management, customizable dashboards, API integrations, and user permissions and roles.Q3: How does Skubana handle multi-channel and multi-warehouse operations?
Skubana allows for real-time omnichannel inventory management and multi-warehouse integrations. It can track inventory levels across different warehouses and sales channels, enabling businesses to split and route orders based on inventory availability. This ensures that inventory is managed efficiently and accurately across all channels.Q4: Can Skubana automate order fulfillment and shipping processes?
Yes, Skubana can automate order fulfillment and shipping processes using its orderbots. These orderbots can set automated rules for smart fulfillment, identify VIP orders, and automatically add special items or select express shipping methods without manual intervention. This automation helps in reducing errors and increasing the speed of order fulfillment.Q5: How does Skubana integrate with other e-commerce tools and platforms?
Skubana integrates seamlessly with leading commerce platforms, point of sale systems, and third-party warehouses. It also has an open API and an expansive App Store library, allowing for unlimited plug-and-play customization to fit any workflow. For example, it integrates with ShipMonk for order fulfillment and with platforms like Shopify and Amazon.Q6: What kind of analytics and reporting does Skubana offer?
Skubana provides detailed analytics and reporting, including cross-channel analytics that offer marketplace insights. This helps businesses identify the most profitable channels and products, decide when to offload underperforming inventory, and track SKU-level data to make informed decisions on inventory management.Q7: How does Skubana help in managing returns and customer service?
Skubana offers returns management features that allow for the creation of customized packing slips, return labels, and emails. This helps in improving customer service and retention by streamlining the returns process and making it more efficient.Q8: What is the pricing for Skubana?
Skubana’s pricing starts at $999 per month, which includes features such as unlimited marketplaces, ERP integrations, analytics tracking, inventory management, and order and warehouse management. For the most accurate and up-to-date pricing, it is recommended to reach out to the vendor directly.Q9: Is there a free trial available for Skubana?
Yes, Skubana offers a free trial. This allows businesses to test the platform’s features and see how it can benefit their operations before committing to a paid plan.Q10: How does Skubana support businesses during peak seasons?
Skubana helps businesses manage peak seasons by providing a single source of truth for inventory, automating processes, and ensuring reliable inventory information. This helps in reducing late orders and out-of-stock situations, even during the busiest periods, as seen in the case of Viscata, a Spanish fashion brand.