Nomad's Journey: From Kickstarter to Global Brand with Skubana
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Inventory Management Systems
- Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Applicable Industries
- Electronics
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Sales & Marketing
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Picking, Sorting & Positioning
About The Customer
Nomad Goods is a company that started as a Kickstarter project in 2012 with a vision for a discrete and portable charging device called the ChargeCard. The project gained attention from major media outlets and tripled their target funding goal, raising $161,897. Over the years, Nomad expanded their product line and business strategy, offering over thirty products by 2018. They distributed their products through major retailers such as Best Buy, Urban Outfitters, and Staples. However, with the expansion of their business, they faced significant challenges in inventory management.
The Challenge
Nomad Goods, a company that started as a Kickstarter project in 2012, had grown significantly over the years, expanding their product line and business strategy. By 2018, they offered over thirty products and distributed through retailers such as Best Buy, Urban Outfitters, and Staples. However, with the expansion of sales, product line, warehouses, and sales channels, inventory management became a major challenge. The lack of a single source of truth for their inventory led to daily miscommunications and dissatisfaction from customers. Operational alignment meetings often took precedence over discussions about new product launches and promotional plans. Nomad’s Co-Founder & COO, Brian Hahn, spent most of his day over spreadsheets, estimating inventory in transit, at their 3PL, and in their internal warehouse. This process involved logging into multiple platforms, exporting data, and analyzing it in Excel.
The Solution
In July of 2018, Nomad switched to Skubana, an inventory management service, after a recommendation from a friend. Skubana was adaptable to the nuances faced by a brand like Nomad, selling hundreds of SKUs across multiple channels. It allowed Nomad to have inventory in transit and warehoused in multiple locations, a feature not found in many other platforms. The transition to Skubana took only four weeks, significantly less than the nine months it took to implement their previous inventory management system. Skubana provided a 'God-mode' for Nomad, giving them a comprehensive view of their operations. It also helped Nomad execute a marketplace strategy, enabling them to sell on Amazon.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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