Implementing Cin7’s inventory software has helped Brian and his team graduate—with honors—from their reliance on manual, time (and money) consuming processes.
Brian Higgins has been at the helm of ABC School Supplies for almost 20 years, turning the family-run business into Ireland’s premier online supplier of educational products with complete inventory control.
About fifteen years after ABC School Supplies was established, the family made the monumental decision to transition completely from in-person retail to online. Now, ABC School Supplies offers over 20,000 educational resources—ranging from school supplies to curriculum kits and beyond—that support preschool, primary, and secondary students.
In 2020, Brian, as Managing Director, was looking for a comprehensive inventory solution to replace the company’s legacy system they had been using for years.
The pandemic pushed their inventory software search into overdrive. Starting with 10 systems, Brian boiled their choices down to three: an Irish-based system that he couldn’t recall the name of, Brightpearl, and Cin7. Cin7’s pricing and speed of installation made it ABC School Supplies’ star pupil.
“We were able to get up and running quite quickly,” Brian explains.
He points to Cin7’s smooth integrations with the applications they were already using, including Xero and WooCommerce, as additional reasons they chose it over the other options. ABC School Supplies also chose to install Shiptheory for its shipping capabilities and is currently considering HubSpot to handle their CRM needs.
Implementing Cin7 and its very popular application partners transformed ABC School Supplies’ operation. Where once they had to copy and paste their website orders into their old system, produce a paper pick-and-pack list, walk the list to the warehouse, and manually update their inventory, they’re now basking in the benefits of Cin7’s paperless system.
For Brian, measuring Cin7’s impact on ABC School Supplies’ productivity was as easy as, well, ABC. “Pre-Covid, we were averaging around 50 orders a day, but now, we can realistically handle about 400 to 500 orders a day if need be.”
Swapping their fully manual processes to seamless, automated ones has garnered astronomical time savings, shaving their average order time from approximately 10 minutes to 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
But that’s not all. Brian shares that since they tapped Cin7 as their inventory solution, they have:
Cin7’s end-to-end inventory management software has boosted ABC School Supplies’ efficiency across every department, but its benefits don’t stop there. ABC School Supplies has taken their demand forecasting to a whole new level with Cin7’s new advanced inventory forecasting application, ForesightAI .
The cost savings of choosing ForesightAI over their previous system (Inventory Planner) alone was reason enough to make the switch, but its ease of use and reordering insights have been game changing.
Then there’s the winners, losers, and chasers. Brian says their previous system didn’t clearly highlight which products were doing well, which products were fading, and which products had potential. With ForesightAI and its comprehensive reports, that’s no longer the case.
“Now, if we have losers, we can act by removing them. When we find winners, we’re targeting them through things like our Google ad campaigns,” he says. “With chasers, we’re giving products a chance. To be honest, for 20 years, we probably cut products that would probably be selling well today.”
With Cin7, ABC School Supplies’ 22-person team—11 of whom work in the warehouse—is turning orders around more quickly, accurately, and affordably. By incorporating a lean operating process with Cin7’s connected inventory software, the company’s margins are off the charts, impressing the company’s accountant. And its customer service is reaching new heights, satisfying its customers—including its B2B customers.
Looking to the future, Brian says they’re already working on growing their market in places such as Germany, Italy, and Spain while also working on enhancing their brand with current and potential customers.
“We’re going to just keep doing what we’re doing and have a bit of fun along the way!”
Implementing Cin7’s inventory software has helped Brian and his team graduate—with honors—from their reliance on manual, time (and money) consuming processes. As a completely automated and thriving online distributor, ABC School Supplies is building a legacy of success for generations to come.
