The 3 Most Common ERP Performance Failures (And How to Fix Them)

ERP problems don’t always scream. Sometimes… they whisper

ERP issues don’t usually show up with alarms or flashing alerts. Instead, they slip in quietly. Maybe a report is late, a team slows down, or someone creates a spreadsheet workaround that eventually becomes the norm. It seems minor at first, but it can turn into a big problem.

Over time, these small inefficiencies add up. You lose time, waste money, and execution slows down. For companies with $10M to $100M in revenue, facing these ERP problems is almost expected.

The good news is that most ERP breakdowns fit into just a few categories. Once you identify them, you can fix them, and the return on investment can be significant.

Let’s look at what usually goes wrong, what it costs, and how you can fix it for good.

1. The integration headaches that drain revenue

High-growth brands usually rely on a network of systems. Shopify or Amazon drives demand. NetSuite handles accounting and inventory. A 3PL ships the product. And a tool like Celigo ties it all together.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

When one of those connections breaks, chaos follows. Orders get stuck. Inventory data becomes unreliable. Your team shifts from scaling to firefighting. And while the stress is visible, the real cost often isn’t.

Take one retailer we worked with. They were losing 2% of annual revenue—$400,000 on a $20M business—because Amazon and Shopify orders weren’t syncing with NetSuite. Their team just called it “system issues,” but it was really a revenue leak.

Contrast that with Softies, a DTC brand that cleaned up its order flows. By stabilizing their integrations and cutting 10 manual order-entry roles, they unlocked $2.3M in new revenue and saved over $500K annually.

When integrations break, the ripple effects hit every team:

• Finance gets unreliable numbers

• Ops loses trust in inventory data

• Customer support gets buried in tickets

• Leadership starts making decisions in the dark

Fixing this starts with visibility. You need to run a real diagnostic: map out your data flows, find where things are breaking, and link those issues to business outcomes. Then, rebuild your system based on how your business actually works today, not how it was first set up. 

With a scalable integration strategy, you can protect revenue, save time, and grow without adding more staff.

2. Reporting that’s slow, outdated, or flat-out wrong

Let’s be honest: reporting problems aren’t just a finance issue. They affect every team and every major business decision. When ERP reports are late, messy, or inconsistent, the whole company feels the impact.

We’ve worked with businesses where the month-end close took more than 10 days. That kind of delay isn’t just frustrating. It’s expensive. In one case, we helped a client reduce it to 4 days, saving more than $57,000 in annual productivity costs.

Why does this happen so often? Usually, the root causes are pretty clear:

• Messy or inconsistent data coming from upstream systems

• NetSuite modules that aren’t configured correctly

• Bloated transaction volumes that overwhelm the system

When leaders stop trusting the data, they start to hesitate. Inventory purchases get delayed, forecasts become less accurate, and strategic plans turn reactive. In short, everything slows down.

The solution isn’t to work harder; it’s to clean up your data environment. This means tightening data flows, reviewing accounting structures, and automating routine tasks such as reconciliations and report preparation.

SMYTHE is a great example. They were spending hours manually reconciling Shopify data. We automated that flow and saved them more than $10,000 annually. But more importantly, their team started trusting their data again… and that trust translated into better, faster decisions.

3. Manual workarounds are costing you more than you think

When ERP systems can’t keep up, people fill in the gaps. Someone builds a spreadsheet, another person manually fixes a field, and everyone insists it’s just temporary.

But six months later, it’s the new normal.

Manual workarounds kill profitability quietly. Here’s how:

• Time gets wasted on tasks that should be automated

• Orders move more slowly, delaying revenue and cash collection

• Labor costs rise for low-value work

• Human error increases and impacts customers and partners

In many product companies, up to 15% of orders need human intervention. If you process 20,000 orders a year, that’s more than $62,000 wasted on time alone.

It gets worse when teams start to see the system as fragile. They stop trying to improve it, and minor optimizations feel risky, so manual work continues.

That’s why automation needs to be intentional. Begin by mapping your end-to-end processes. Find the repeated manual steps that take a lot of time and don’t add strategic value. Once done, rebuild those flows in NetSuite and your integration tools so they run automatically.

Don’t just assume things are better. Instead, track the impact with real numbers… error rates, time saved, and revenue gained. Automation builds efficiency and confidence at the same time.

Why these ERP problems keep happening

If it feels like you’re constantly battling the same ERP headaches, you’re not alone. These issues aren’t unique to your company. We’ve seen them across dozens of industries… from eCommerce and retail to wholesale and manufacturing.

Most ERP challenges come down to the same root causes:

• The system was built for where your business was, not where it is now

• Your internal ERP owner left or is stretched too thin

• Integrations were duct-taped instead of being properly designed

• Reporting was built around short-term needs, not long-term architecture

• Your vendors focused on tasks instead of business outcomes

The result is a system that works most of the time, until it suddenly doesn’t.

That’s why we believe in a structured, repeatable approach. We've seen it work with all of our clients, and it leads to faster results, fewer surprises, and clearer ROI.

How to fix your ERP without blowing it up

The best part? You don’t need to rebuild everything from scratch. In most cases, the foundation is solid so you just need to realign it to today’s business.

Here’s the four-step approach we use with nearly every client:

1. Run a quantified diagnostic

Start with the facts. Our clients on AlturaCare start with a comprehensive system HealthCheck that shows where things are failing, how much it's costing, and where the biggest returns are. It also helps get leadership aligned around fixing it.

2. Align systems with how you operate today

Your ERP should match how your business actually runs today, not how it was first set up. That means aligning it with your current financial setup, inventory flow, sales channels, and how your teams really work.

3. Rebuild automation around scale

Eliminate as much busywork as you can. Focus on automating tasks… like forecasting, reconciliation, and order fulfillment. The goal is to keep operations running smoothly even as your business scales—preferably without adding more people.

4. Build in continuous improvement

Your ERP isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it system. The best-run companies treat it like a living asset that evolves with the business. That’s why they rely on embedded partners rather than one-and-done consultants.

What happens when you get ERP right

When your ERP starts supporting the way your team actually works, everything gets easier. Month-end gets wrapped up faster. Orders move with fewer errors. Revenue climbs without hiring more people. Costs drop. Teams spend less time putting out fires and more time moving the business forward. And leadership gets the visibility they need to make smart decisions.

That’s when your ERP stops holding you back… and starts helping you grow.

What could that look like for your business? Take a look at our NetSuite Optimization Services. And if you need data to help make the case internally, Gartner’s ERP benchmarks are a great place to start.

Growth shouldn't come with operational chaos. Let’s fix what’s slowing you down so you can scale faster, smarter, and with more confidence.

See what your ERP can really do. Book a call with us today and start uncovering the ROI you have been missing. Ready to run faster and scale smarter? Talk with our team about AlturaCare and get a plan built around your business.

Beyond Go-Live: The New Mandate for ERP Ownership

When you own your ERP, you own your future

For many businesses, “go-live” marks the finish line. The system’s up, data’s flowing, and operations are technically functional. But as any seasoned operator knows, functional isn’t the same as optimized.

What happens in the months and years after launch is when ERP ownership really counts. Companies that excel treat their ERP as a living system, not just a one-time project.

And that shift in mindset is becoming a strategic necessity.

The post–go-live reality

After implementation, most teams face a familiar pattern: workarounds multiply, reports drift out of sync, and internal admins become firefighters instead of strategists. Sound familiar?

These are signs of underdeveloped ERP ownership. The system runs, but the business isn’t running on it. According to NetSuite, less than half of organizations actively review or optimize configurations post–go-live. That’s a missed opportunity with real financial consequences: longer month-end closes, recurring data issues, and delayed decision-making.

ERP ownership means taking control of that post-launch lifecycle. It’s how you move from “just keeping up” to “scaling up.”

From maintenance to maturity

Owning your ERP means evolving from maintenance to maturity. That requires three key shifts:

1. From project to program. Stop treating ERP as something that’s “done.” Make it a continuous improvement program with defined owners and measurable outcomes.

2. From firefighting to forecasting. Shift the focus from reacting to issues toward anticipating them. Mature ERP owners use data trends to prevent problems before they hit operations.

3. From system stability to business agility. When processes are stable and documented, you can adapt faster—whether it’s integrating a new sales channel or rolling out automation to reduce overhead.

That’s the difference between surviving growth and mastering it.

Why digital operations are the new competitive edge

In today’s mid-market, speed and accuracy win deals. Your ability to quote, ship, and close fast depends entirely on how well your ERP and connected systems perform. Every delay compounds. Every manual process eats into margin.

That’s why forward-thinking CFOs and COOs are reframing ERP ownership as digital operations management. It’s not about IT uptime—it’s about business performance.

At Altura, we see this across industries. In retail, automation cut order entry times by 80%. In distribution, better visibility eliminated hours of manual reconciliation per day. And in manufacturing, proactive system audits prevented costly production delays before they started.

ERP maturity isn’t optional anymore—it’s a growth lever.

The lifecycle management model

Owning your ERP means treating it as a product with a lifecycle:

• Plan: Define KPIs that tie system health to business outcomes.

• Operate: Monitor processes, document exceptions, and track trends.

• Optimize: Prioritize enhancements that move the financial needle.

• Evolve: Revisit architecture quarterly to support new goals.

That’s the framework behind AlturaCare—a managed service that embeds ERP ownership into the organization. It’s not about keeping the lights on. It’s about driving measurable improvement every month.

Because the companies that win don’t just maintain their ERP systems, they make them better.

Avoiding the post–go-live plateau

Even well-run teams fall into the “we’ll fix it later” trap. But delayed optimization always costs more. Processes calcify, data debt grows, and staff learn bad habits that are hard to undo.

We’ve seen what happens when companies stay in that mode. In one case, a finance team took 10 days to close each month. With structured lifecycle management, that dropped to four days—freeing up a week of productivity every month. The difference wasn’t new software. It was ownership.

To help identify early warning signs, check out our guide on 6 Early Warning Signs Your NetSuite Implementation Needs Help.

From ownership to transformation

True ERP ownership turns technology into leverage. It creates the conditions where finance, operations, and leadership can work from the same version of the truth—and move faster because of it.

That’s where digital operations maturity becomes a differentiator. Mature ERP owners don’t just react to change… they anticipate it. They run faster, scale smarter, and spend less doing it.

The takeaway

ERP ownership isn’t just an IT responsibility. It’s a leadership mandate. Go-live isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of continuous improvement, measurable ROI, and operational confidence.

If your team is still in firefighting mode, it’s time to step into ownership. Because in today’s market, how well you manage your ERP defines how far you can grow.

See what mature ERP ownership looks like.

Explore AlturaCare or browse our Optimization insights to learn how proactive lifecycle management can transform your NetSuite environment—and your business.

Confidence, continuity, and calm—no matter how busy it gets

Safeguard your revenue between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday with Altura’s 24/7 emergency coverage

As you know, the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday can define a brand’s entire year. That’s when ecommerce peaks, systems stretch to their limits, and one small glitch can ripple into thousands of missed orders. Most teams cross their fingers and hope for stability. 

At Altura, we plan for certainty.

When your orders stop flowing, what does it cost you per hour?

If your systems froze between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, how much would that cost?

For many of the brands we partner with, that five-day window drives up to a quarter of annual revenue. A single integration failure or NetSuite issue at the wrong moment can have an outsized impact.

That’s why we created Holiday Peak Weekend Emergency Coverage—our dedicated 24/7 on-call support program built to keep your revenue engine running when it matters most.

Five days. Continuous coverage. One mission: protect your ability to sell, fulfill, and deliver without interruption.

What this weekend is for

Altura’s engineers go on-call to handle anything that directly affects live orders, payments, fulfillment, or revenue recognition.

That includes:

• NetSuite order-to-cash processing

• Ecommerce ↔ NetSuite sync (Shopify, Amazon, Walmart)

• Celigo, 3PL, shipping, and inventory integrations

• Any integration or script issue blocking orders, cash flow, or fulfillment

This weekend isn’t for cleanup or feature work. It’s for “keeping your money moving” work.

When you hit the panic button

From Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, if something goes sideways, here’s what you can count on when you contact us:

• An acknowledgment within 15 minutes of when you raise an emergency

• An engineer begins active triage within about 30 minutes

• Your incident receives immediate priority over non-critical work

• Escalation goes straight to senior engineers and your Altura account lead

You’re not waiting in a queue or opening a general support ticket. You’re activating a team that’s already committed to your success that weekend.

What you’re really investing in

With our Holiday Peak Weekend Emergency Coverage, you’re securing assurance.

Before the weekend begins, we reserve engineering capacity exclusively for participating clients, conduct proactive stability checks on key revenue flows, and ensure you have a direct line to the team responsible for your systems.

If something breaks at 2 a.m. on Black Friday, you won’t be hoping for a reply… you’ll already know we’re on it.

Who this is for

This program is for you if:

• You rely on NetSuite + ecommerce for real-time orders and fulfillment

• You’re running major holiday campaigns where downtime isn’t an option

• You want named engineers accountable for your system’s uptime

It’s not for teams comfortable with standard weekday response times or for those focused on project work instead of live operations.

The takeaway

If you want a guaranteed support slot for Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, contact us with HOLIDAY in the subject, and a member of our team will get back to you with the details ASAP.

If you’d prefer to manage coverage internally, that’s completely fine—just be sure your plan gives you confidence when volume peaks. Because the strongest operations aren’t built on hope, they’re built on preparation.

Why this matters

Your customers expect a smooth experience. Your campaigns deserve uninterrupted momentum. And your business runs best when every system is ready to perform.

When performance matters most, having Altura on standby isn’t just smart insurance—it’s a confident move that protects your growth and your peace of mind.

Secure your spot in Altura’s Holiday Peak Weekend Emergency Coverage today and head into Thanksgiving weekend knowing your systems—and your revenue—are in expert hands.

How to Build a Future-Proof Integration Strategy with Celigo

Building integrations that drive growth long after go-live

Your systems are the backbone of your business. If they’re fragmented, your data and your decisions will be, too. Many companies begin by connecting platforms like Shopify, Amazon, or 3PLs to NetSuite using Celigo. But without a clear strategy, these integrations can become fragile, expensive, and challenging to manage as your business grows.

A future-proof Celigo integration strategy ensures every system connection serves a purpose, scales with demand, and remains reliable long after go-live. Connecting systems is easy. Connecting your business for scale takes strategy.

Start with business outcomes, not endpoints

Before mapping a single flow, define what success looks like. Do you need faster order processing, fewer manual touches, or cleaner financial data? According to Gartner, companies that align integration initiatives with measurable business goals see a 2.5 times higher ROI than those that treat integrations as IT projects.

Integration is no longer a technical exercise. It’s a business strategy. Every connection should either accelerate revenue, reduce costs, or give customers a better experience.

Build on a flexible, scalable platform

Celigo remains the go-to platform for businesses that want to integrate smart, not hard. Its iPaaS framework scales from a few workflows to thousands without requiring a total rebuild. But tools alone aren’t enough… you need a clear design standard that keeps complexity in check.

Altura’s integration experts use proven playbooks to build reusable templates and monitor health across all Celigo flows. The result is uptime above 99% and automation that actually stays automated.

Prioritize governance and visibility

The best integration strategy is clear and open. That means dashboards, error tracking, and ownership are all built in. When errors occur (and they will), teams should know immediately where and why.

In many of our client engagements, visibility alone has cut resolution time from weeks to hours. One apparel retailer cut recurring Celigo errors by 50% within the first month simply by adopting structured monitoring and alerting protocols.

A future-proof Celigo integration strategy doesn’t just connect systems, it empowers your team to manage them confidently.

Design for change, not just today

Your systems will evolve, channels will expand, and new data sources will emerge. An integration that isn’t adaptable is already outdated.

The right Celigo strategy includes:

• Modular flow design that supports new endpoints with minimal rework

• Version control and documentation for every flow

• Sandboxed testing before deployment

• Ongoing performance reviews tied to business metrics

At Altura, we’ve seen how small misalignments early on can ripple into costly rework later. That’s why we document every process and build with tomorrow in mind.

Measure ROI and continuous improvement

Integration isn’t a one-time project. It’s an evolving capability. Once flows are live, track outcomes regularly. Measure throughput, automation rates, and financial impact. If you’re not improving month over month, your integrations are quietly decaying.

For one client, automated workflows unlocked $2.3M in annual revenue by stabilizing Celigo flows and removing manual order entry. Another eliminated the need for ten order-entry staff, saving half a million dollars a year. These are the results of a strategy built for performance, not just function.

Choose a partner that scales with you

The right integration partner doesn’t disappear after go-live. They stay in the trenches, optimizing and adapting your systems as your business grows. That’s what sets Altura Innovation’s Integration Services apart.

We don’t just build Celigo integrations, we build confidence. Our team becomes an extension of yours, aligning on outcomes and delivering measurable impact every month.

When you’re scaling fast, you need more than a vendor. You need a guide who’s solved these challenges before, across eCommerce, wholesale, and manufacturing. That’s what future-proof really means.

Final thought

A future-proof Celigo integration strategy connects more than systems—it connects your goals to measurable outcomes. With the right design, governance, and partnership, integration becomes an engine for growth rather than a source of friction.

If you’re ready to stabilize, scale, and future-proof your integration ecosystem, it starts with one conversation.

Ready to see what seamless feels like?

Discover how far your integrations can take you. Book your strategy call today.

The Real ROI of NetSuite Managed Services

How managed services turn NetSuite from a cost center into a growth engine

For most mid-market companies, NetSuite is both indispensable and underperforming. It’s the system that runs your finances, inventory, and reporting, yet it's too often a bottleneck rather than a growth enabler.

Many leadership teams accept inefficiency as the cost of doing business. But when your ERP is delivering incomplete data, manual rework, and daily exceptions, the real cost isn’t the software. It’s the missed opportunity.

That’s where managed NetSuite services change the game. By shifting from reactive fixes to proactive optimization, managed services transform NetSuite into a measurable driver of ROI. With AlturaCare, the focus isn’t just on keeping your system running… we make sure it’s driving performance, efficiency, and profitability across your organization.

The hidden cost of “good enough”

Most internal teams do their best to keep NetSuite stable. The problem is that "stable" doesn't equal "optimized." When your ERP is just functioning rather than performing, hidden costs can erode as much as 5% of your margins over the course of a year. These stealth costs compound quietly, often going unnoticed until they significantly impact the bottom line.

A single full-time NetSuite administrator can cost more than $120,000 per year including benefits. If that person leaves or splits time across multiple systems, expertise gaps emerge that slow everything from reconciliations to reporting. Meanwhile, teams fill the gaps with spreadsheets and manual workarounds. In fact, research shows major ERP-ROI erosion occurs in process inefficiencies rather than licensing alone.

Consider a typical scenario for a $50M retail or wholesale company:

• Month-end close: Currently 10 days instead of 4, costing roughly $57,000 per year in lost productivity.

• Manual order handling: 15% of orders require human intervention, wasting $62,500 annually in labor.

• Integration issues: Routine integration failures causing a 2% revenue loss on $20M in annual sales—$400,000 in missed revenue.

These are not theoretical numbers. They’re pulled from real mid-market companies using NetSuite every day. Once you add turnover, inconsistent data, and rework costs, “good enough” quickly turns into a six-figure drain.

What managed services really mean

Managed services are often misunderstood as glorified support contracts. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Traditional support is reactive—it fixes what breaks. Managed services, especially through AlturaCare, are proactive. They continuously analyze performance, implement automation, streamline integrations, and identify strategic improvements that pay measurable dividends.

Think of it like this:

• Support fixes errors.

• AlturaCare prevents them… and builds efficiency while doing it.

This model aligns directly with business performance, not just system uptime. Every hour saved in finance, every workflow automated, and every integration stabilized is tracked, measured, and converted into ROI you can show to your board.

Explore AlturaCare

The measurable impact of optimization

It’s one thing to claim efficiency. It’s another to quantify it.

Softies, a fast-growing eCommerce apparel brand, partnered with Altura to overhaul its NetSuite environment. Within months, automated workflows replaced manual order entry, unlocking millions in new annual revenue and eliminating labor costs in the mid-six figures.

Smythe, a wholesale distributor, reduced Celigo errors by 50% and automated their available-to-ship reporting. The result? A faster sales cycle, fewer customer delays, and hundreds of hours recaptured for their team every quarter.

These results are consistent across industries because AlturaCare uses proven playbooks, refined through years of solving the same operational challenges for similar-sized companies. Whether your business sells apparel, manages multiple warehouses, or assembles custom products, the outcome is the same: stronger visibility, faster processes, and better margins.

Turning data accuracy into profit

For CFOs, ROI isn’t about soft metrics—it’s about the P&L. Every data error or manual process has a quantifiable cost.

When NetSuite data isn’t synchronized with your eCommerce or 3PL systems, you lose more than time. You lose customer trust, revenue accuracy, and decision-making agility.

A finance team spending an extra two days reconciling orders because of data mismatches isn’t just wasting labor hours. It’s delaying insight that could drive pricing strategy, purchasing decisions, or cash flow management.

AlturaCare focuses on eliminating those delays because companies that base decisions on real-time data outperform peers in profitability and productivity. Automated reconciliation, real-time integration health checks, and custom dashboards ensure that every stakeholder—from accounting to operations—has reliable, up-to-date data.

That data integrity directly drives ROI because it allows leadership to act faster, with confidence.

Why in-house teams can’t match managed ROI

Even with a skilled NetSuite admin or a small internal team, it’s nearly impossible to replicate the breadth of expertise managed services bring.

AlturaCare clients benefit from:

• Access to specialized NetSuite, Celigo, and reporting experts across accounting, operations, and integration domains

• Established best practices proven to reduce manual work and error rates

• Ongoing system health checks and KPI reporting

• Continuous improvement initiatives designed to scale with growth

For most companies, hiring even half that level of expertise internally would require multiple full-time salaries, not to mention the ongoing costs of training and retention. Managed services deliver that same (or greater) impact at a fraction of the total cost.

And this isn’t just a niche trend. The global managed services market is projected to more than double by 2030. That surge reflects how companies across industries are increasingly relying on managed partners to close capability gaps, streamline operations, and drive measurable ROI.

Calculating your own NetSuite ROI

Here’s a simple way to quantify the impact of inefficiency. Multiply the hours spent on manual, error-prone work by your team’s average hourly rate.

Operational Issue			Estimated Annual Cost
Manual order entry (5 min × 20k orders × $25/hr)			$62,500
Integration errors (2% revenue loss on $20M)			$400,000
Extended close time (4 days × 3 staff × $50/hr × 8 hrs)			$57,600
Data corrections and rework			$45,000
Total Annual Impact:			$565,100

If your company faces even half of those issues, your NetSuite ROI is being cut in half. AlturaCare helps reverse that loss by eliminating redundancy, tightening integration performance, and keeping your system optimized year-round.

You don’t need another consultant. You need results you can measure.

Managed services and scalability

ROI doesn’t stop at efficiency. Managed services enable scalability without proportional cost increases.

When your systems are stable, automated, and working together, growth doesn’t put pressure on your operations. Adding sales channels, product lines, or new warehouses becomes a strategic choice rather than a risk.

One AlturaCare client expanded into two new retail channels without hiring a single additional NetSuite admin. Their existing workflows simply scaled because automation was built to handle it.

That’s what a scalable ERP investment gives you: confidence in your operations that supports growth instead of holding it back.

Partnership over project work

Another key ROI driver is partnership continuity.

AlturaCare isn’t project based or a bucket of hours. It makes us an extension of your team. That means your business goals, seasonal demands, and integration priorities are included in our plans. The result is fewer surprises, faster decision-making, and a consistent push toward measurable performance.

Clients often say, “We wish we’d chosen Altura from the start.” The reason is simple: the right partner delivers results that keep adding up over time, not just completed projects.

Read next: 5 reasons mid-market companies outsource NetSuite management

The bottom line

When you view NetSuite ROI solely as a cost question, you miss the full picture. Managed services like AlturaCare turn your ERP into a profit driver by bringing together technical expertise, operational insight, and measurable business outcomes.

ROI isn’t just about doing the same work for less money. It’s about cutting out wasted effort, using smart automation, and growing faster than your competitors.

Your NetSuite investment can already deliver this level of performance. It just needs a partner who knows how to make it happen.

Talk to us about your NetSuite ROI.

Want to see where your ROI is hiding? Try our quick NetSuite Optimization Self-Audit to identify performance gaps in 30 minutes or less.

NetSuite Optimization Self-Audit: Identify performance gaps in 30 minutes

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If your NetSuite feels slower, clunkier, or more manual than it should, you’re not alone. Many growing companies hit a wall after their initial NetSuite implementation. Processes that once worked fine start dragging. Reports take longer to run. Teams rely on workarounds, and leadership loses visibility into what’s really happening across the business.

The good news? Most of these problems can be spotted quickly with the right framework. This 30-minute self-audit will help you identify where performance gaps are costing you time, money, and momentum.

Step 1: Evaluate your financial close process

If your month-end close is taking longer than five days, it’s a red flag. Review your journal entries, reconciliations, and approval chains. Ask: which parts could be automated or simplified? Many clients have reduced their close from ten days to four just by optimizing NetSuite workflows and approvals.

Step 2: Review automation and workflow uptime

Automation is only powerful when it’s reliable. Check for failed workflows, scripts, or integrations. If your automation uptime isn’t near 99%, you’re spending too much time firefighting instead of forecasting.

Step 3: Assess integration stability

Shopify, Amazon, 3PL, EDI—if any of these connections break, your business slows down. Audit your integration logs for recurring Celigo or API errors. Even a 2% failure rate can mean hundreds of delayed or lost orders a month.

Step 4: Measure reporting and visibility

How quickly can finance and operations leaders get answers to basic questions? If dashboards lag or data requires multiple exports, it’s time to tighten your data pipelines. A well-optimized NetSuite delivers real-time visibility across your entire business.

Step 5: Examine user experience and training

A powerful system is only as effective as its users. If your team relies on manual steps or can’t find what they need, productivity stalls. Review permissions, saved searches, and training resources to make everyday tasks easier.

When a self-audit isn’t enough

Sometimes, the gaps you uncover go deeper than expected. That’s where AlturaCare comes in. Every new AlturaCare engagement begins with a comprehensive HealthCheck, a deep, data-driven analysis that pinpoints exactly where inefficiencies are hiding and builds the roadmap to fix them. From there, our team stays hands-on to keep your NetSuite performing at its best, month after month.

Take the next step

Don’t wait for inefficiencies to become bottlenecks. Download the 30-Minute Optimization Checklist to pinpoint your biggest opportunities and see what’s possible when your systems are seamless.

Download your 30-Minute Optimization Checklist and uncover what’s slowing you down.

6 early warning signs your NetSuite implementation needs help

Misaligned tiles.

Misaligned systems.

Same problem.

Your NetSuite system should be the heartbeat of your business operations, giving you visibility, accuracy, and control across finance, inventory, and fulfillment. But for many growing companies, the reality looks very different.

When troubleshooting consumes more team resources than data analysis or workflow improvements, it’s a strong indication your NetSuite implementation needs a strategic reset. Here’s how to recognize the early signs before minor issues turn into costly setbacks.

1. You’re relying on too many workarounds

Departments relying on their own “manual fixes” signal that the efficiency promised by NetSuite is slipping away. Workarounds—like spreadsheet reconciliations or manual journal entries—usually mean your system isn’t configured for your current processes.

Over time, these shortcuts create reporting blind spots and inconsistent data. If you’re constantly double-checking numbers or switching between systems to confirm accuracy, it’s time to evaluate your setup.

2. Month-end close is still a marathon

NetSuite should accelerate your close, not prolong it. If your finance team still takes more than a week to reconcile accounts and produce reports, something’s off.

We helped one client cut their month-end close from 10 days to just four by eliminating redundant processes and optimizing their workflows. The result? More time for strategic analysis and fewer late nights balancing the books.

3. Integration errors are eating into revenue

Sync failures or persistent Celigo flow errors can cost your business revenue almost immediately. Even a small percentage of failed transactions can lead to thousands in lost sales or delayed shipments.

For example, a 2% integration failure on $20M in annual revenue can mean $400,000 in preventable losses each year. A stable, well-optimized integration framework keeps your sales channels, warehouses, and accounting data moving seamlessly.

Ready to fix those integration errors before they cost you more revenue? Explore our NetSuite Rescue services to stabilize your systems and prove ROI fast.

4. Your internal team is stretched thin

Many companies lose or overextend their NetSuite admin, leaving operational gaps. Without the right technical oversight, your implementation drifts, and issues pile up.

Workflow improvements fall by the wayside once ticket management becomes routine—and that’s a clear indicator it’s time to scale up your NetSuite support. A proactive partner can help you stabilize, automate, and scale—without adding headcount.

5. Reporting feels unreliable… or impossible

If leadership questions every report or waits days for numbers, your NetSuite instance isn’t providing the clarity it should. Broken data flows, disconnected modules, and outdated configurations all contribute to unreliable results.

Your ERP should act as your single source of truth. When it doesn’t, decision-making slows, and opportunities pass by. Our experts can help rebuild confidence in your reporting foundation.

See how SMYTHE improved reporting and integration performance through automation.

6. You’ve been live for over a year, but results have plateaued

When measurable gains in speed, efficiency, or visibility stall after a year on NetSuite, the issue isn’t the platform’s capability—it’s because your business has outpaced your system’s configuration.

At Altura, we help implementations get back to peak performance through targeted optimizations that align technology with business goals. From automation tuning to reporting cleanup, our clients see measurable ROI—often in weeks, not months.

Why act now?

Every extra week spent troubleshooting is lost time, delayed decisions, and unrealized revenue. The sooner you optimize, the faster your business can grow—confidently, efficiently, and without disruption.

What to do next

If any of these signs sound familiar, don’t wait for them to turn into major disruptions. A strategic optimization can transform your system from a maintenance headache into a measurable growth driver.

Start by exploring our NetSuite services. Want to learn more about the platform itself? Visit NetSuite.com to see how a well-tuned implementation can support your next stage of growth.

If you’re ready, book a call today. We’ll chat about how far your ERP can really take you.

5 ways eCommerce integration with NetSuite drives real efficiency

Efficiency grows when every system moves together

If your team spends more time fixing sync errors than fulfilling orders, you’re not alone. Most growing eCommerce businesses hit the same point — sales channels keep expanding, but backend systems can’t keep up. What used to work with one storefront and a small operations team starts to break once the data volume spikes.

That’s when integration becomes the difference between growth and gridlock. Connecting your eCommerce platform with NetSuite doesn’t just automate data flow. It gives you a cleaner, more reliable foundation for everything that happens after a customer clicks “Buy.”

Here’s how smart integration drives measurable efficiency across your entire operation.

1. Real-time data sync eliminates manual rework

For most teams, reconciliation isn’t a monthly task — it’s a daily grind. Orders get stuck in queue, inventory counts don’t match, and finance ends up chasing down missing records.

When systems talk to each other in real time, that cycle stops. Each order, refund, and shipment updates instantly, so finance, fulfillment, and customer service are all working from the same source of truth.

According to Gartner, companies that automate operational data flow can cut manual rework by up to 70%. For your team, that means fewer spreadsheets, faster closes, and no more “where did that order go?” moments.

2. Faster order fulfillment, because the handoffs finally work

Most fulfillment slowdowns start long before the warehouse. They happen when orders fail to post correctly from your eCommerce store to NetSuite — maybe a new promotion created a mapping mismatch or a SKU field didn’t sync.

With a well-built integration, those bottlenecks disappear. Orders flow straight through to fulfillment, inventory adjusts automatically, and your team can spot and fix any exceptions within minutes instead of days.

That’s how you stay ahead during high-volume periods: by keeping the flow stable, not by adding more hands to the problem.

3. Clear visibility from checkout to close

Disconnected systems make it nearly impossible to trust your numbers. Operations sees one version of inventory, finance sees another, and by the time data is clean, it’s already outdated.

Integrated eCommerce and NetSuite environments change that. You can see true order status, cash flow impact, and shipping performance in one place — no more hunting across systems to answer a basic question.

Our Celigo integration services help companies connect their sales channels, ERP, and fulfillment tools into a single, transparent flow. The result is confidence in every report and faster decision-making across teams.

4. Stability when it matters most

Peak season is when weak integrations show their cracks. File queues slow down, connections time out, and teams scramble to push orders through manually just to keep up.

A stable integration eliminates that chaos. When transactions sync automatically and errors are caught before they snowball, operations stay calm even during a flash sale.

It’s exactly what Smythe achieved when they streamlined their tech stack. By automating key data flows between Shopify, NetSuite, and their warehouse system, SMYTHE reduced recurring integration errors by 50% and cleared hours of manual reconciliation per week. Read how SMYTHE tailored its tech stack.

5. Scalable growth without adding headcount

Every company wants to grow. Few want to double their operations team just to handle the volume. A strong integration strategy lets you scale orders, channels, and fulfillment without adding layers of manual work.

We’ve seen clients add new marketplaces or 3PL partners in days instead of weeks — all while keeping their NetSuite environment clean and stable. That’s the real ROI: growth capacity without overhead.

See what’s possible when your systems actually work together

If your current setup feels like it’s holding you back, start by fixing the flow between systems. The impact is immediate — fewer manual fixes, faster fulfillment, and better visibility across every part of your business.

Explore our Celigo integration services to see how we help eCommerce teams stabilize their NetSuite environments and scale with confidence. Then see what’s possible when your systems are truly seamless.

Because when data moves right, so does your business.

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Ready to start? Talk with our team about how smarter integration can simplify your operations and unlock your next level of growth.

5 reasons mid-market companies outsource NetSuite management… and why it’s smarter than hiring in-house

What to do when NetSuite starts running the show instead of supporting your growth

You brought in NetSuite to bring order to your business. But now? The system’s chewing up more time than it’s saving.

Tickets backlog. Integrations get glitchy. Month-end close drags into week two. And your team — bright, capable, already stretched — is stuck in reactive mode.

If that’s where you are, you’re not alone. We see this all the time at Altura Innovation, especially with companies scaling fast across platforms like Shopify, Amazon, Celigo, 3PLs, and more. At a certain point, NetSuite becomes the bottleneck, not the boost.

That’s usually when companies start asking a smart question:

“Do we keep trying to manage this in-house… or is it time to bring in help?”

Here’s why more mid-market companies are turning to AlturaCare — our managed services program designed specifically for scaling product-based businesses — and why it’s often the smarter, better move than hiring in-house.

1. In-house hiring is expensive… and still leaves gaps

Let’s say you hire a NetSuite Admin. Great start. But as your operations grow more complex, one admin won’t cut it. You’ll need developers, integration specialists, finance-savvy pros, and someone who can manage projects across the stack.

That’s 4–5 headcount. $90K–$180K each. Plus benefits. Plus onboarding. And even then, your in-house team probably won’t cover every specialty.

With AlturaCare, you get fractional access to that entire cross-functional team without the full-time payroll. We scale with you, plug into your systems fast, and give you deep expertise from day one.

2. You get real depth, not just ticket-takers

NetSuite doesn’t exist in a silo. Neither should your support.

AlturaCare teams span developers, finance experts, integration pros, and solution architects. So when something breaks — say, a Celigo flow throws errors — we don’t just fix it. We look at how it impacts financials, inventory, order ops, and reporting. Then we fix it for good.

You don’t have to explain your stack over and over. We stay integrated, retain context, and work like an extension of your internal team.

3. You get proactive monitoring — not just firefighting

Most internal NetSuite teams operate reactively—fixing issues as they appear. AlturaCare takes a proactive approach, continuously monitoring your system health, catching errors early, and ensuring smooth system updates.

This lets you stay ahead of problems instead of chasing them.

This approach prevents issues before they cascade into outages or lost sales. In other words: less downtime, more uptime, and more confidence that your ERP can handle tomorrow’s volume.

4. Your internal team finally gets breathing room

IT leaders, finance directors, and ops managers tell us the same thing: they’re buried.

They want to focus on strategy — like automation, analytics, new sales channels — but they’re stuck clearing tickets and fixing broken flows.

With AlturaCare, your team gets space to think bigger. We handle the grunt work: error resolution, integration management, config changes, compliance checks. You focus on growth.

For many of our clients, this shift creates immediate ROI: faster decision-making, better data, and way less burnout.

5. You get consistency, not chaos

Maybe you’ve tried freelancers. Or a friend-of-a-friend NetSuite dev. Or a block-of-hours shop.

Those might work short-term. But when projects stall, documentation disappears, or someone ghosts mid-fix — you’re back to square one.

AlturaCare gives you a dedicated partner team. We learn your business, stay consistent, and build a roadmap that evolves with your systems. You’ll be ready when the next integration, acquisition, or BFCM wave hits.

Outsourcing NetSuite management isn’t giving up control — it’s how you take it back

Altura Innovation’s AlturaCare is a built-in partner for fast-growing companies feeling stuck. It’s not ad hoc support. It’s not a discount developer pool. It’s a smarter way to run your systems… without burning out your team or blowing up your budget.

Ready to regain control of your NetSuite?

If your NetSuite feels stuck in reactive mode, it’s time to move to a proactive model. AlturaCare helps mid-market companies stabilize, optimize, and scale their NetSuite environments — with engaged expertise, predictable billing, and measurable ROI.

Let’s talk about how AlturaCare can help your systems run as fast as your business.

Need more information? Visit our AlturaCare page or read our AlturaCare FAQ.

Case Study: SMYTHE Tailors its Tech Stack for Growth with Altura Innovation

SMYTHE started 20 years ago as a bold idea: bring the tailored sophistication of men’s blazers to women’s workwear. Over two decades, the brand grew from a single iconic blazer to a full ready-to-wear collection, opened retail stores in Toronto and Calgary, and launched a growing online presence.

But with growth came complexity. Managing inventory, analyzing sales performance, and integrating various sales channels became increasingly challenging. SMYTHE chose NetSuite as the backbone of their scaling business operations, but unlocking its full potential, particularly with Celigo integrations, required expertise they didn’t have internally.

Driven to address critical integration challenges with Celigo, NetSuite, and Shopify, SMYTHE partnered with Altura Innovation to stabilize and optimize their tech stack for seamless operations.

Building a scalable foundation with NetSuite

SMYTHE had begun with a system made for the apparel industry, but as their company expanded, they needed a more unified, scalable solution to support their growing complexity.

Adopting NetSuite is a strong strategic move that unifies finance, inventory, and reporting in one system. But after the initial rollout, the system wasn’t fully meeting expectations, particularly with integrations.

“From a logistics and fulfillment perspective, the transition was difficult. Key functions like production planning and inventory forecasting weren’t fully operational months after go-live,” said Lindsay Vilensky, SMYTHE’s ERP Project Manager.

Legacy integrations with platforms like Shopify, Loop Returns, and EDI had to be recreated from scratch for NetSuite. Some rebuilds stalled or became too costly, draining time and resources without delivering results.

To manage the growing backlog, Vilensky built an internal ticketing system — but the load was still overwhelming.

SMYTHE’s leadership quickly realized that while NetSuite offered robust data and functionality, the integration challenges, particularly with Celigo, were preventing them from leveraging it effectively. The technology they had invested in was powerful, but without the right support structure, it wasn’t delivering the seamless experience they had envisioned.

“We were drowning in Celigo variances,” said Vilensky. “We had 40 open integration issues at any given time, and I was under pressure from every department.” 

SMYTHE wasn’t facing a technology failure; they were facing the growing pains of a scaling brand with real-time demands across platforms, customers, and time zones. NetSuite and Celigo were powerful tools, but the missing piece was specialized support to resolve integration issues. 

“We didn’t need a different system. We needed a partner to help us move past these Celigo flags and make the pieces work together.”

Rebuilding confidence with Altura, one problem at a time

Realizing that overcoming their integration challenges required specialized expertise, SMYTHE sought a partner with deep knowledge of Celigo, NetSuite, and system integrations. That’s when they found Altura Innovation, a team known for delivering practical solutions tailored to complex needs.

Altura’s diverse group of specialists brought expertise across NetSuite, Celigo, and system integrations, enabling them to tackle issues efficiently and build a solution that could support SMYTHE’s operations.

Altura quickly got to work, helping SMYTHE’s Finance team streamline Shopify deposit reconciliations directly within NetSuite, eliminating tedious manual spreadsheets and speeding up month-end close processes.

Unlocking operational wins with data-driven tools

One of SMYTHE’s most significant breakthroughs came in the form of a deceptively simple deliverable: the Available-to-Sell report.

“Our sales team was manually copying and pasting images and data into Excel,” said Vilensky. “By the time they sent the report out, those units could already be sold.”

Altura replaced that manual process with a fully automated, image-rich PDF that refreshes every two hours. The impact was immediate: faster sales cycles, more confident wholesale buying, and a meaningful reduction in overhead.

“It really improved our wholesale channel,” said Vilensky. “This is something we had in our old system, but we couldn’t replicate it in NetSuite — until Altura.”

Simplifying support with a dedicated client partner

Altura Innovation simplifies collaboration within its diverse team through AlturaCare, a service agreement that pairs each client with a dedicated client partner who serves as a single point of contact. This clear line of communication keeps everyone on the same page and prevents confusion about who to contact or how to escalate issues.

For SMYTHE, this meant a clear, reliable process for handling technical issues—routing requests, prioritizing tickets, and receiving quick, knowledgeable responses.

“You don’t have to worry about who to email or where to escalate because there’s one trusted contact who knows your business and can coordinate with the team,” said Vilensky. “It’s so important having someone who understands our issues and can prioritize them for the right resources.”

This streamlined communication established a trusted channel that efficiently coordinated services for SMYTHE, fostering confidence and speeding up problem-solving across the board.

Celigo: Now core to operations

With a trusted partner in place, SMYTHE turned its focus to unlocking the full power of Celigo, a platform that had become essential to the company’s daily operations.

“Celigo is a non-negotiable for our business,” said Vilensky. “We couldn’t run our DTC channel without it.”

Altura helped rebuild and stabilize critical integrations between NetSuite and platforms like Shopify and Loop Returns. That clarity and automation eliminated hours of manual reconciliation, accelerated order flows, and dramatically reduced errors.

“We had a really bad view of Celigo, but I think it was skewed,” said Vilensky. “It’s an amazing product. We now understand how powerful it is — we just didn’t have the right team backing us at first.”

That realization, that the right technology needs the right partner, changed everything. With Altura managing the complexity, SMYTHE could rely on Celigo to support real-time inventory syncs, automated returns, and fully integrated EDI workflows.

“It’s not just NetSuite support,” said Vilensky. “Altura is also our go-to for Celigo, and that keeps everything aligned and working smoothly.”

Building a scalable foundation for the future

Thanks to Altura Innovation’s partnership, SMYTHE turned frustrating manual processes into smooth, automated workflows that support their evolving business. Enhanced data usability and operational agility have empowered SMYTHE to confidently pursue new growth opportunities while trusting their technology backbone to deliver.

"We wish we had found Altura from the beginning,” said Vilensky. “The difference with Altura is the team—they really know NetSuite and Celigo inside and out. When issues come up, they understand them quickly and can solve them without a lot of back and forth. Having that kind of expertise from the start would have saved us a lot of time and frustration."

The partnership between SMYTHE and Altura laid a strong foundation for sustained growth and continuous innovation, positioning SMYTHE to confidently meet the challenges ahead.

The Impact

✔ 50%+ reduction in recurring Celigo errors
✔ Eliminated manual Shopify reconciliation
✔ New automated Available-to-Sell report saving 3+ hours per wholesale cycle
✔ EDI sales orders fully integrated for the first time after 18 months of struggles
✔ Significant improvement in financial month-end close processes
✔ Better operational visibility and faster decision-making across teams

About Altura Innovation

Altura Innovation is a strategic partner specializing in optimizing and scaling NetSuite and Celigo ecosystems for fast-growing brands. By embedding dedicated client partners and delivering deep technical expertise, Altura Innovation helps companies transform complex operations into efficient, growth-ready systems.

About SMYTHE

SMYTHE is a contemporary women’s fashion brand known for redefining professional style with tailored, sophisticated apparel. SMYTHE’s ready-to-wear collection empowers women with confidence and timeless design. Committed to quality and innovation, SMYTHE continues to evolve its operations and technology to support sustained growth and meet the demands of a dynamic fashion market.

Love the story? Let’s build yours. Talk to Altura — Celigo’s New Partner of the Year →

Case Study: Kindred Bravely’s omnichannel growth with NetSuite + Celigo

How Altura Innovation unlocked scalable retail infrastructure

Kindred Bravely is a fast-growing maternity and breastfeeding brand on a mission to make early motherhood feel a little less overwhelming and a lot more supported. They design award-winning pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, and baby essentials that deliver unparalleled comfort and function. 

As they expanded into new sales channels, including major retail partnerships, they didn’t just react to growth. They invested intentionally in operations and systems to protect what matters most: their customer experience.

As the business expanded from its direct-to-consumer roots into a full-fledged omnichannel business, including wholesale partnerships with major retailers like Target, its operational demands grew in both complexity and scale.

To keep pace, Kindred Bravely partnered with Altura Innovation to help support and grow their operations, unlock new channel opportunities, and increase momentum across the company.

A Tipping Point for Change

In 2024, Kindred Bravely was broadening its reach to better support the growing community of moms relying on its products. Supporting this momentum meant making key operational changes, including relocating its returns center to a new warehouse. 

Behind the scenes, their six-year-old NetSuite setup was starting to show its age. Their system wasn’t scaling easily,and the warehouse move would push its limits even further. A full system rebuild was needed, but it wasn’t feasible if it meant halting day-to-day operations.

“We couldn’t just put the business on hold, we had to build the plane while we were flying it,” said Hank Alexander, Chief Operating Officer at Kindred Bravely. “It was a large project that we knew we couldn’t complete with the resources we had on hand.”

With critical changes already underway, the team saw an opportunity to test a new model: bringing in outside NetSuite experts to fill their capability gaps. To meet the moment, Kindred Bravely turned to Altura Innovation, bringing deep NetSuite expertise and a proven track record implementing Celigo.

Unlocking Speed at Scale With Celigo B2B Manager for EDI

EDI is essential for scaling wholesale and direct vendor ship operations, but traditional providers often take 6 to 16 weeks to onboard a new trading partner, slowed by outdated systems, hand-coded maps, and long waits in professional service queues.

“You’re stuck waiting while a vendor’s technical services team builds each connection,” said Dave Charland, CEO of Altura Innovation.

With Celigo B2B Manager, Altura is completely changing how EDI is implemented.

“We reuse proven integration building blocks,” Dave said. “If the template’s already in our library, we can usually complete the development work in about a week. Maps are built, flows are configured, and we’re ready to test, before legacy providers would have even started work. That means new revenue can land in weeks, not months and we can stop the bleed of charge backs.”

Celigo’s architecture makes this possible: canonical structure, standardized templates, self-service mapping, aunified environment for EDI and API integrations, and the ability to onboard multiple partners in parallel.

That means brands like Kindred Bravely can scale wholesale quickly, without expanding their internal team.

“Before Celigo B2B Manager for EDI, every new wholesale partner meant weeks of slow, manual work for the team,” said Hank Alexander, COO. “Now we own the process. We can move faster, stay accurate, and scale without adding more headcount.”

Partnership That Goes Beyond Outsourcing

What made Altura Innovation stand out wasn’t just their speed, it was how seamlessly they integrated with the Kindred Bravely team.

“We’d worked with partners before who spent most of their time just trying to get up to speed, burning through hourswithout making real progress. They’d show up to calls and meetings, but the work wasn’t getting done. With Altura, that never happened,” explained Alexander.

From day one, Altura took ownership and drove the warehouse migration project forward with clear communication andpractical solutions. They didn’t just show up to meetings, they showed up in the work, anticipating challenges and pushing progress between calls.

“It seemed like Altura truly was an extension of our team, not a third party we had to constantly bring up to speed,” said Alexander. “We never lacked confidence that the job would get done.”

By providing the missing technical expertise and freely sharing their knowledge with Kindred Bravely’s internal team, Altura empowered Kindred Bravely to manage their system without interruption. This ongoing collaborative supportestablished a strong foundation for continued partnership.

Faster Execution Across the Board

Altura brought immediate velocity to a system that had struggled to keep up. Since that initial project, Altura has helped Kindred Bravely streamline their integrations and modernize their system to support new retail partnerships faster and more effectively. 

Kindred Bravely engaged with Altura on a block-of-hours basis, enabling clear project accounting and visibility into how time was spent. The success of that model helped shape Altura’s current support offering: AlturaCare, which includes proactive planning, ticket tracking, and flexible, on-demand resource availability.

As Alexander explained, “In contrast to our previous experience with external technology partners, where there was no visibility and hours ran out by the 7th of each month, Altura’s model is easy to manage, and we always know where we stand.”

The partnership has delivered benefits beyond improving system performance. With Altura helping to removefriction in the back office, the front office has been empowered to pursue more growth opportunities, with confidencethat their systems and operations can keep up.

“In many regards, it was a game changer,” said Alexander. “There was a lot of tension between teams because new partnerships were being signed, but the system couldn’t deliver. Now, with Altura on board, people are more excited about their work because the business is actually moving forward.”

A Trusted Technology Partner for Strategic Growth

With Altura now managing key Celigo and NetSuite integrations, Kindred Bravely runs more efficiently day to day. Orders flow automatically into NetSuite and across 3PL partners, financials stay current, and operations can support new retail partnerships without adding headcount.

Beyond execution, Altura helped Kindred Bravely think more strategically about how their systems needed to evolve alongside the business. The team recognized that growth requires more than great products—it demands infrastructure that can keep up. Altura’s assistance helped them shape how they invest in technology behind the brand.

With a more scalable, resilient system in place, Kindred Bravely turned a past limitation into a foundation for future growth. “Investing in scalable infrastructure wasn’t just a systems decision, it was a commitment to keeping our promises tothe moms we serve,” said Alexander. With Celigo as the integration backbone and Altura steering their technical execution, they’re ready to grow into new channels while continuing to support their community of moms with the care and consistency that defines the Kindred Bravely brand.

 The Impact

✔ Critical warehouse transition completed seamlessly

✔ Boosted execution speed across teams

✔ Gained expert support without hiring in-house

✔ Reduced manual work with automations and integrations

✔ Enabled faster channel growth

✔ Increased cost visibility with flexible billing

✔ Improved morale and cross-team alignment

About Altura Innovation 

Altura Innovation is a strategic NetSuite and Celigo partner focused on helping fast-growing companies build the systems and processes needed to scale. Altura partners closely with growing teams to solve operational challenges and strengthen the systems behind their success.

About Kindred Bravely

Kindred Bravely exists to make early motherhood feel a little less overwhelming and a lot more supported. Trusted by millions of moms since 2015, Kindred Bravely thoughtfully designs award-winning maternity, postpartum, breastfeeding, and baby essentials that offer unparalleled comfort and intuitive function, allowing moms to feel cared for, empowered, and more like themselves.

Visit Altura Innovation →

Buy Nursing and Maternity Wear from Kindred Bravely →

Love the story? Let’s build yours.  Talk to Altura — Celigo’s New Partner of the Year →

Case Study: From Cozy Robes to Clean Workflows—Altura Helped Drive Softies’ Scale

Softies spent four years battling broken NetSuite processes, broken Shopify connections, and failed integrations. Then they partnered with Altura Innovation, and everything changed.

Softies, a luxury loungewear brand beloved by customers and Oprah’s Favorite Things list, started like many fast-growing e-commerce companies, running QuickBooks for accounting and Shopify for online sales. As the business scaled, the limitations became clear. To support their growth, they invested in NetSuite in 2020, aiming to streamline operations and financials while continuing to use Shopify for ecommerce.

However, despite the promise of a unified system, Softies spent years battling broken NetSuite processes, unreliable Shopify order automation, and unresolved integration issues. The full potential of their investment remained out of reach until they found a true partner in Altura Innovation.

For a company growing as quickly as Softies, a reliable Shopify to NetSuite connection was not optional; it was essential. A well-built integration could automate the work of ten employees, reducing manual order entry and keeping operations running smoothly. But getting it right would take more than just the right platform. It would take the right partner.

To maintain the integration, Softies initially worked with a well known offshore Celigo partner. But as the business scaled, recurring issues with the system weren’t being resolved quickly enough, leading to disruptions in key processes. Softies spent several years struggling with unresolved integration issues. “We migrated to NetSuite in 2020. By 2023, things were still broken,” says Softies CEO Tim Murphy. “It wasn’t until we found Altura that it finally got better, fast.”

Recognizing the need for more responsive, hands-on support, Softies got introduced to Altura Innovation, Celigo’s New Partner of the Year, as a better fit for the level of service and expertise their growing operations required.

Softies knew they needed action, not another long discovery process. Altura’s Quickstart engagement offered a low-risk, high-velocity path forward, focusing on their biggest issues within weeks. It gave Softies the confidence to move fast and see real, measurable gains where they had once felt stuck.

With Altura’s help, Celigo transformed from a frustrating tool into a business-critical system that Softies cannot live without.

“If Celigo were pulled out tomorrow, it would cripple our operations,” says Murphy. Controller Kathryn Strang agrees, adding that it would take at least ten additional staff members to manually process orders and accounting without it. “It is not just helpful. It is essential to keeping our business running efficiently.”

After their introductory call, Softies immediately signed on for a Quickstart engagement focused on Amazon flows. Working with Altura on a single project unlocked clarity the team had not seen in years and built the trust that soon led to a full AlturaCare partnership.

“Even when something could not be solved immediately, Altura always explained the reason clearly and transparently. That level of openness was a first for us,” says Kathryn Strang, Softies Controller.

The clarity built real trust, and soon after, Softies committed fully by signing on for AlturaCare, Altura Innovation’s complete application management services program.

From real-time ticket resolution to hands-on warehouse visits, the AlturaCare partnership felt less like a vendor agreement and more like an extension of the Softies team. Altura quickly resolved long-standing NetSuite and Celigo issues, implemented a ticketing system with full visibility and rapid response workflows, and helped Softies clear four years of operational roadblocks in just a few weeks.

“I wish we’d partnered with Altura from the start,” says Murphy.

With the roadblocks finally cleared, Softies’ operational strength took center stage. Their relentless focus on collaboration, customer experience, and operational excellence had already set them apart. During the holiday season, before engaging Altura, their warehouse team processed over 3,000 orders in a single day from a single location, even without full automation. Altura’s role was to unleash the strength of a team that was already built to win, removing friction, enabling greater automation, and giving Softies the foundation to scale even further.

Altura’s unique approach to partnership allows their clients to define the rules of engagement. For Softies, that meant not just solving problems for them, but training their internal staff. “We appreciate Altura training up our employees to fix the things they can fix, and not just grabbing consulting hours for the sake of grabbing them,” says Murphy.

The tech stack stopped being the bottleneck and started being the foundation for growth. Altura turned years of friction into forward momentum. With hands-on strategy, embedded support, and a true partnership model, Softies now runs confidently across platforms without needing an internal IT department.

“Now we can say yes to new channels, new partners, new opportunities, all because the systems are ready for it,” says Strang. “It finally feels like the business and the backend are working together. With Altura as our partner, we see no limit to the channels we can add or the volume we can handle.”

Today, Softies is positioned to build on its reputation as a leader in accessible luxury, with operations as smooth and elegant as the products they deliver. With a tech foundation they can trust, the Softies team can focus fully on innovation, expansion, and continuing to delight customers across every channel.

The Impact

✔ 99%+ automation uptime across Shopify, NetSuite, and Celigo

✔ Ticket resolution within hours, not weeks

✔ 24/7 ticketing visibility and same-day resolutions

✔ Zero internal IT headcount required

✔ Full confidence to scale into new channels

✔ Morale boost across ops and warehouse teams

Altura Innovation is a Celigo Premier Partner specializing in e-commerce, retail, and NetSuite enablement.

Softies is a leading innovator in luxury loungewear, combining exceptional products with a world-class customer experience across both B2C and wholesale channels.

Visit Altura Innovation →

Buy Pajamas from Softies →

Big News for NetSuite Optimization and Integration

Today, I introduce you to Altura Innovation, your technology partner in the NetSuite ecosystem.

Our Mission

To bridge the gap between unmet needs and the transformative potential of fully optimized technology solutions. By leveraging cutting-edge technology such as AI, automation, and NetSuite ERP, we enhance and elevate capabilities in e-commerce, retail, distribution, manufacturing, and field service.

Altura Innovation is unlike any other NetSuite or Celigo consulting firm. We accept a limited number of clients at any one time, devoting all our efforts to your business and treating it as if it were our own.  In other words, we aren’t an ERP Consulting company; we are a strategic advisor focused on aligning people, process, and technology to be a growth multiplier for our clients.

Altura Innovation’s deep learning gained through leading companies in product management, engineering, delivery, sales and marketing makes us the most technically proficient problem solver in the NetSuite ecosystem and positions us as the perfect partner to support your success.

NetSuite Services

Implementation

Ask any business that has implemented NetSuite—even those that recommend NetSuite Professional Services for their excellent implementation packages—you’ll often hear how invaluable it would have been to have a trusted advisor to help navigate the transition from their existing accounting system to NetSuite. Altura Innovation enables business process owners to harness their knowledge into a more effective design, avoiding the pitfalls of a convoluted system setup.  

Support and Optimization

If your business process owners are complaining that you've taken a step backwards or the old system was better than the new way, your system isn’t optimized. The solution is closer than you think. Instead of causing your team to rage against IT-driven changes, we can help you automate and they will fall in love with the technology supporting your vision.  We are also experts at documentation and training. That seems like it should be table stakes, but it’s generally an afterthought for most NetSuite consulting firms.

Project Recovery & Rescue

It’s very frustrating as a leadership team to learn that your ERP implementation is out of budget with no light at the end of the tunnel. We can quickly assess your project and offer you a clear, crisp, no-bulls**t path to getting the outcomes you expected from your technology transformation project.

Field Service Management Expertise

As a field service micro vertical thought leader, I have over 8 years of experience supporting over a hundred implementations. I recognize that the team in the field is the foundation for everything service organizations do for their customers. Altura Innovation can help you ensure your technology transformation is seamlessly adopted.

Integration Services

NetSuite Integrations

We are experts at harmonizing the data between NetSuite and your other systems. We have experienced full-stack developers and Celigo Integration Engineers who can deliver rapid solutions. We meticulously document the flow of data and build robust integrations. In other words, you can maintain it yourselves instead of having to call for support because of a fragile design and non-existent exception handling.

Data Services

Business Intelligence (BI)

We help you leverage your data to drive actionable insights and improve strategic decision-making.

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The 3 most common ERP performance failures

These are the top 3 performance failures NetSuite customers make and what you can do about them.

Tailoring the robust NetSuite ERP to fit your specific requirements promises enhanced efficiency and a competitive edge by automating manual steps incorporation validations, and integrating your business systems like Shopify, Salesforce, BigCommerce with Celigo. To ensure your NetSuite environment thrives, do these 3 things.

1. Beware of Poorly Written Scripting and Customizations

The power of NetSuite lies in its flexibility, including the tremendously powerful use of scripts, such as programmatically updating a Sales Order Record while it's saving with value added information. However, this flexibility can be a double-edged sword. It's common for so many use cases to be added, that the scripts become bloated and sap the performance from your system. Loading many scripts/workflow is less efficient than using one per request type. Combine them and eliminate anything that doesn't add value. Requests that don't need to be synchronous on order save should be moved to MapReduce scripts.

2. Avoid Poor Integration Design and Performance

Integrating NetSuite with other systems is a common practice for expanding its capabilities and ensuring seamless data flow across your business ecosystem. Integrations that are not thoughtfully designed, considering data volume, sync frequency, and error handling, can lead to poor performance, and reliability issues. Use event based integrations where there is a performance need, and state based where near real time will do. Consider using an iPaaS software like my favorite Celigo to make it much easier to get a performant solution that checks all of the boxes.

3. Do Not Underestimate the Importance of Proper Data Management

An often overlooked aspect of NetSuite customization is the strategic management of data within the system. Having a thousand custom fields in the system with drop down lists that have an insane number of choices will sink your performance. Inadequate data management practices, such as creation of unnecessary records, failing to archive old data or not maintaining data integrity across records, can significantly slow down your NetSuite environment. Efficient data management ensures that your system can quickly access and process the information it needs, without being bogged down by irrelevant or outdated data. Thoughtful design of the data structure, regular data audits, and the use of data archiving or purging mechanisms are essential steps in maintaining a high-performing NetSuite system.

If you are already experiencing system performance or Integration pain in your NetSuite environment, you can improve it with tips like what I shared above or grab time with me to review your tech stack.

Together, we can review your system, identify potential improvements, and unlock the full potential of your NetSuite investment.

Top 3 tradeoffs for choosing the cheap quote

The 3 tradeoffs that come from choosing a cheap quote on your implementation, from Intuit QuickBooks to NetSuite.

Expertise and Experience: The most affordable option may not bring the depth of knowledge required for a seamless transition. A skilled provider with a proven track record in your industry understands the nuances of your business processes, ensuring a custom fit for your needs.

Long-Term Support and Scalability: Initial implementation is just the beginning. A quality provider stands by your side, offering ongoing support, training, and scalability solutions. They're an investment in your future, helping you to adapt and grow without the need for costly reimplementation.

Comprehensive Solutions Over Quick Fixes: A lower-cost provider might cut corners, focusing on a quick launch rather than a comprehensive, strategic implementation. This can lead to issues down the line that are far more expensive to resolve. A reputable partner ensures that NetSuite not only goes live but thrives as an integral part of your business ecosystem.

One of the first decisions you'll face as a team is whether to jump in for a quick win of Financials First or SuiteSuccess or do you set your sights on a much bigger impact up front. Get clear on what Minimal Valuable Transformation looks like for your team, and execute on it.

Remember... when it comes to your business... people are more important than process, and process is more important than technology. Outline what you must have in your first iteration, and then stop at nothing to get to value as quickly as possible product.

Choosing Wisely

Your NetSuite implementation partner shapes your platform's success. Opting for value over cost means investing in a partnership that understands your business, offers tailored solutions, and supports your growth every step of the way.

Grab a time to chat about your tech stack and your move to NetSuite.

Top 5 benefits of integrating ecommerce & NetSuite

These are the top 5 ways integrating your BigCommerce or Shopify, ecommerce Store to NetSuite will transform your Operations and Accounting.

1. Orders placed on your website will be automatically imported into NetSuite. Products that are dropped shipped from vendors will have the Purchase Orders automatically created and sent to the preferred vendor. As a sweetener you can use the Shippers API and your ID to pull your order shipment information from your vendor and update the order fulfillment and shipping information.

2. Your fulfillment and shipping information including Advanced Shipping Notice will export from NetSuite into your Ecommerce Platform to keep your customer support team and customer informed on the shipping updates.

3. All of your Product Detail updates can be syndicated to your site. No more updating all of the sites individually.

4. Payout Reconciliation streamlines the reconciliation process by auto-matching the payment gateway settlement transactions against the NetSuite outstanding transactions (such as payment, cash sale, cash refund, customer deposit, or customer refund). It also provides you details about the unreconciled items, transactional, and non-transactional fees charged by the payment gateway.

5. All of your inventory levels for products will stay synchronized between your distribution centers and 3PLs. This eliminates stockout situations, speeds re-orders, and maximizes customer success.

Celigo's Integration Applications for Ecommerce makes doing all of this easy. You can get on our schedule to get this configured and then cross this off the list before Summer and you'll be the envy of all of your friends in the National Retail Federation this holiday season.

Top 5 e-commerce integration requests

If you’re trying to connect Shopify, Amazon, or other sales channels to NetSuite, you’re not alone. Many retail, B2B, and manufacturing brands face integration challenges that slow down fulfillment, create customer frustration, and drain accounting resources.

Here are 5 of the most requested NetSuite eCommerce integrations—and how they drive efficiency and growth.

1. Faster Fulfillment & Shipping Accuracy

Customers expect same-day shipping and visibility into delivery dates. A NetSuite + eCommerce integration improves order lead times and on-time shipping rates. By integrating your storefront with NetSuite, fulfillment accelerates—especially when order approvals and dropship POs are automated. Bonus: loop ASNs from vendors back into NetSuite sales orders for complete visibility.

2. Accurate Inventory Across All Channels

Stockouts and overselling frustrate customers and damage trust. With real-time NetSuite inventory integration, merchants can sync stock across Shopify, Amazon, and wholesale channels. Buffering inventory levels and pushing updates frequently prevents oversells while improving customer experience.

3. Streamlined Data & Operational Efficiency

Eliminate duplicate entry across systems like Salesforce and HubSpot. With NetSuite + Celigo integration, product updates, orders, and transactional data flow in real time. This unified data environment cuts errors, improves reporting, and saves hours every week.

4. Revenue Growth Through Marketing Integration

Turn order history into targeted marketing campaigns. By connecting eCommerce sales data in NetSuite to platforms like HubSpot or Salesforce, marketers can launch personalized nurture programs and amplify ad spend. Campaigns built on past sales behavior drive repeat revenue and customer loyalty.

5. Automated Payout Reconciliation

Reconciling payouts from Shopify, Amazon, Stripe, PayPal, and Visa can take days each month. With Celigo’s NetSuite payment integration, transaction reports automatically match sales orders and refunds, create deposit records, and close transactions. The time savings for your accounting team is massive.

If you are one of the many companies that utilize solutions like Amazon MFN/FBA, BigCommerce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Square, or Magento, and you want to solve challenges like the above, book time with me to connect.

When “one size fits all” doesn’t fit

"We started implementing NetSuite in Q3 of 2023. We are live but, it's not doing things we need. Is NetSuite bad for our type of business?"

I'm surprised how often I get this question. There are some specific situations where NetSuite isn't a fit for Accounting and Operations, but generally I'm a huge advocate for NetSuite as the platform for medium enterprise. It's outstanding out of the box, and it supports tremendous expansion to support the needs of operations, sales, and finance teams.

NetSuite's standard product and implementation is geared towards "Financial First" or "SuiteSuccess." Get Accounting on NetSuite to start delivering value as soon as possible. Many of the vertical specific editions also deliver substantial Operations capability. This is a pre-configured offering of configuration and functions that is oriented by industry The best software products are geared towards delivering a significant amount of value with minimal risk to the customer as quickly as possible and with the least amount of effort as possible. By this standard, NetSuite's initial implementation is outstanding.

The problem with your implementation is that it might be finished according to the "quick win" standard, but it may not be complete enough to take over for all of the disparate tools it was bought to replace. You'll know this is happening if your business process owners are complaining that with NetSuite you've taken a step backwards or the old way was faster, more accurate, or superior to the new way.

Congratulations! People and Process harmony isn't as far away as you think, and you've passed the milestone of "Implementation." You are ready for Optimization, and this is where incremental value can be found at every turn from your initial investment in technology. It's time to start identifying the largest opportunities to eliminate any struggles to get work done and automate. Then leverage NetSuite Native solutions and other Software Development Network solutions in the ecosystem that are enabled with data & automation solutions like Celigo to automate your workflow.

Welcome to the Rebellion.

Who gets passionate about people, processes, and technology? We do. Every company begins as a dream, and it's a privilege to aid teams in bringing those visions to life.