Artemano is a Canada-based chain specializing in modern and contemporary exotic solid wood furniture and home décor. Although Artemano’s roots are in Canada, the brand takes inspiration from faraway lands, from the rosewood and mango wood of India to the suar and teak of Thailand. Artemano sells furniture - but its wares are more than just furniture to the brand.
Looking for a system that brings it all together
Artemano used to run a mix of invoicing platform S5 and Microsoft Excel to manage orders and inventory. Additionally, the accounting department used Accpac. The company soon realized that they had moved from small to medium business, and grown beyond the capacity of their invoicing system. They began looking for a comprehensive retail system that could manage invoicing, inventory, order management and POS. The unique nature of Artemano’s products requires the company to sell from the sales floor of any store to any location. They then need to follow the order from start to finish, and create the appropriate inventory movements. For Artemano, access to underlying data for reporting, commission payout, KPI measurement and customer tracking were essential features of the new system. After inspecting various solutions, Artemano selected the LS Retail software solution, a solution that offered all the features the company was looking for.
Initial difficulties
Being a small company, Artemano had no IT project manager, and the LS Retail software implementation project changed hands internally several times. “Our biggest challenge was an internal lack of understanding of what our needs actually were and how to prioritize them,” says Jonathan St-Jean, Director of Operational Efficiency at Artemano. “Add to that that our license renewal with S5 was coming due, and we wanted to avoid paying for renewal if the switch to LS Retail software could be completed in time,” he adds.
A company with specific needs
The implementation required custom development to manage Artemano’s order handling process. Unlike most retailers, cash & carry sales are a small percentage of Artemano’s business: on the contrary, around 90% of the company’s sales are special orders, which require after-sale delivery and handling. Artemano was also very stubborn about maintaining its existing workflows, which were significantly different from industry standard. Artemano’s integration partners, LS Retail’s certified partner XSi, continuously advised the retailer’s in-house team to review their procedures and policies, and to establish clear processes before committing to any development changes. In the end, XSi was able to develop a solution around Artemano’s specific needs, and they have since been working closely with the retailer as it grows and adapts its business and processes to better align with industry standards.
Improvements across the whole chain
Since implementing the LS Retail software solution, Artemano has noticed a big change in its daily tasks. They now have a single platform that covers all of their needs, from accounting to inventory to sales. “The single biggest impact has been on inventory management and visibility,” says St-Jean. All locations now have an instant, clear view of inventory availability across the company, and are better able to sell what is available, knowing that the operations team will deliver”.
