International Beauty Supplies

Attaché provides competitive edge for beauty products wholesaler

International Beauty Supplies knows a thing or two about competition. For over two decades the locally-owned company has met the challenges of increased online competition and reduced margins. Today, with thousands of products, a multi-tier pricing model and a mobile sales team, the company depends on Attaché to provide the information backbone through which they continue to automate operations to gain maximum efficiency.

With several million dollars tied up in stock and considerable freight costs, the business relies on Attaché to manage its financials, inventory, sales, distribution and warehousing to control operating costs.

Stock management is king

International Beauty Supplies is renowned for its large product range, a key differentiator in an increasingly competitive market.

“This is a feel-good industry. That’s what I love about it, but with that comes a complex stock holding,” said General Manager James Carroll.

“We now have more than 5,500 SKUs, and that’s set to expand.

“Attaché helps us keep track of all that complex and expensive stock holding. The system gives the team real-time visibility and automates the reordering process to avoid costly overrun stock. In fact, the strong stock management capability in Attaché was one of the main reasons we chose them in the first place,” he said.

“Given our reduced margins, Attaché helped to automate our processes so we can do more with less staff involvement,” James said.

Cost controls for profitability

Attaché’s robust financial information management has underpinned the company’s growth and helped it navigate the changing environment of reduced margins and cost pressures. Attaché has assisted with cost control and margin management, adding to the profitability of the business.

“Our business has changed in recent years,” James said. “That means one of the most important things we need to do is manage our costs.”

“Attaché provides us with accurate margin reporting that helps us break down the cost of every product. We use that information to identify total on-costs such as freight. This gives us vital data that allows us to determine the margins on each product, on an invoice or a quote,” James said.

Improved sales efficiency through automation

International Beauty Supplies has territory managers as well as an internal sales team that depends on accurate real-time information in Attaché.

The sale reps use tablets linked to Attaché allowing them to see customer details, stock availability, the financial position of each customer and current promotions. Plus, they can quickly check whether they are writing profitable business.

“We also have a complex pricing structure that’s managed by the system with up to six pricing levels for different customers,” he said.

“We just update the special price once and the system is updated across the entire range of products and on their tablets. We don’t have to key in the information. If you’re going to be competitive, you need that flexibility,” James explained.

All the company’s information is now centralised and easily accessible by decision makers. Once financial details are updated in the system, the changes are reflected across the business including the retail sites and field sales system.

Seamless integration

International Beauty Supplies manages online sales through a flexible web store using an eCommerce application from Attaché’s webstore partner Web Ninja, that links seamlessly with Attaché. All sales are linked to the integrated warehouse system that includes automated scanning and barcoding for the crew in the warehouse.

The centralised financial information within Attaché also helps the business to plan thanks to the strength of its reporting. This lets management identify potentially unprofitable lines and develop those that show more promise.

“All in all, Attaché is the engine room of our operations,” James said.

About International Beauty Supplies

www.intbeauty.com.au

• Leading importer and master distributor of quality global brands to the professional beauty salon market, Australia-wide
• Established in 1988, the business supplies salons and retailers with nailcare, haircare, cosmetics, manicure, pedicure, tanning and waxing products
• Complex inventory management of 5,500+ SKUs with multi-tier distribution and pricing model