FLAGSHIP CASE STUDY
BrightTail Naturals · Pet Treats & Supplements
A fast-growing pet wellness brand scaling into Amazon, Chewy, and specialty retail while keeping subscription orders, marketplace SLAs, and on-shelf availability under control.
CPG · Soft chews, jerky treats & functional supplements · Amazon + Chewy + pet specialty + DTC subscriptions
WHO
BrightTail Naturals
Premium pet treats & supplements brand selling via Amazon, Chewy, pet specialty, distributors, and DTC subscriptions.
WHERE
Omnichannel Network
Amazon & Chewy, pet specialty chains, regional distributors, and multiple 3PL DCs.
WHAT
Pet Wellness Operations Hub
Central hub for orders, inventory, lots/expiry, subscriptions, and service levels across channels.
​
16-Week Program
12–16 Week Program
Discovery, design, build, and rollout ahead of a major subscription push and retailer resets.
WHY
Marketplace & OOS Pain
Amazon & Chewy SLAs, FBA/FBM splits, and store replenishment exposed gaps in visibility, replenishment, and compliance.
HOW
DataShip Pet Blueprint
Standard items & packs, automated EDI, marketplace & DTC demand signals, and replenishment rules.
THE CHALLENGE
BrightTail Naturals began as a DTC-first pet wellness brand before scaling rapidly into Amazon, Chewy, and pet specialty retail channels. This expansion introduced heterogeneous operational requirements across marketplaces, retailer EDI networks, and distributor systems. Each marketplace, retailer, and distributor had different order, ASN, and packaging requirements, while 3PLs reported inventory and lots in different formats and systems.
With increasing SKU complexity, subscription growth, and diversified sales channels, the team relied on manual data stitching across Shopify, Amazon, Chewy, and multiple 3PL reporting portals, resulting in fragmented visibility and operational latency. Stockouts on hero SKUs, FBA restock limit issues, and misaligned subscription inventory led to missed sales, manual fire drills, and rising chargebacks and shortages.
​
-
Multiple marketplaces & retailers.Amazon, Chewy, and pet specialty each with unique ASN, carton, and labeling requirements.
-
No single inventory & lot picture.3PL and distributor data lived in separate portals and spreadsheets with limited lot/expiry visibility.
-
Subscription & FBA execution risk.Subscriptions, FBA replenishment, and retail orders competed for the same inventory without a unified plan.
-
Spreadsheet-driven planning.Forecasting, allocation, and channel prioritization depended on manual report pulls.
THE DATASHIP SOLUTION
DataShip deployed an integrated pet wellness operations platform engineered for SMB-scale pet treats and supplement manufacturers, providing deterministic data flows and unified operational telemetry. Dynamics 365, Shopify, Amazon, Chewy, 3PL WMS systems, and distributor portals now publish into a consolidated operations layer, enabling normalized item masters, pack hierarchies, and logistics units that drive consistent execution and automated compliance across all downstream channels.
CENTRAL PET HUB
Unified ERP, 3PL, distributor, marketplace, and DTC data into a CPG-ready hub.
AUTOMATED EDI & ASN
Automated EDI flows for retail partners and ASN/label logic for Amazon, Chewy, and pet specialty.
STANDARDIZED ITEM & PACK
Aligned treats, chews, supplements, bundles, shippers, and pallets across all accounts.
DEMAND, SUBS & REPLENISHMENT
Blended POS, marketplace, subscription, and DTC demand with rules by channel, region, and promo.
-
Implemented a central pet wellness data hub connected to Dynamics 365, Shopify, Amazon, Chewy, 3PLs, distributors, and retailer portals.
-
Rationalized approximately 220 active SKUs—including ~40 bundles, kits, and display units— into a single governed item master with standardized pack hierarchies across DTC, marketplaces, and retail.
-
Standardized SKU, case pack, bundle, display unit, and pallet configuration across all trading partners.
-
Automated EDI flows (850/856/940/945) and GS1 / UCC128 label generation for key retail partners.
-
Integrated subscription logic (Recharge or similar) so recurring orders are planned alongside retail and marketplace demand.
-
Implemented replenishment rules by channel, region, account tier, service level, promo event, and subscription cadence.
ARCHITECTURE BLUEPRINT
​
The BrightTail Naturals architecture centralizes a pet wellness operations hub acting as an orchestration layer between ERP, ecommerce, marketplace APIs, 3PL WMS networks, and retailer EDI ecosystems. This hub provides a canonical system of record for inventory state, lot and expiry lineage, multi-channel order orchestration, subscription lifecycle events, demand signal aggregation, promotional uplift modeling, and retailer compliance workflows.
SOURCE SYSTEMS
-
ERP: Dynamics 365 Business Central
-
Ecommerce: Shopify (+ subscriptions)
-
Marketplaces: Amazon & Chewy
-
3PL WMS & distributors
-
Retailer portals & EDI partners
DATASHIP PET WELLNESS HUB
-
Centralized item, pack, bundle & pallet master
-
Lot & expiry tracking across 3PLs and channels
-
EDI orchestration & GS1 / UCC128 label logic
-
Inventory & order visibility by channel & region
-
Demand, subscription & replenishment rules
CONSUMERS & CHANNELS
-
Retail & marketplace replenishment dashboards
-
Planner workbench (inventory + demand + subs)
-
Chargeback, shortage & OTIF analytics
-
Executive service-level & subscription KPIs
OUTCOMES
+6–9 pts
Fill-rate lift on top marketplace & retail accounts
​
25–35%
Reduction in OOS on hero pet SKUs & subscription backorders
Fewer Fines
Reduction in shortages, chargebacks & compliance penalties
-
Planners moved from marketplace & 3PL report fire drills to a single-screen view of demand, inventory, lots, subs, and production.
-
Sales, ecommerce, and supply chain teams aligned on the same fill-rate, subscription, and service metrics.
-
Amazon, Chewy, and retail partners gained confidence that BrightTail Naturals could support growth, promos, and new-region launches
~220
Active SKUs normalized into a single governed item master
​
6
Core platforms integrated (ERP, Shopify, subscriptions, Amazon, Chewy, 3PL network)
90%+
Order lines now flowing end-to-end without manual touch
​
​
ESTIMATED ANNUAL FINANCIAL IMPACT
$160K–$180K
Chargeback & shortage reduction (Amazon, Chewy, retail)
$200K–$210K
Recovered revenue from avoided OOS, FBA limits & missed subs
$80K–$90K
Labor efficiency (planning, ecommerce ops, finance)
Estimated Total Annual Savings: $440K–$480K
CPG TECHNOLOGY STACK (SMB PET TREATS & SUPPLEMENTS)
MICROSOFT-CENTRIC CORE (SMB READY)
-
ERP: Dynamics 365 Business Central with lot & expiry tracking
-
Lightweight MRP & production add-ons for chew & supplement runs
-
Integration: Azure Logic Apps / DataShip SMB connectors for Shopify, Amazon & Chewy
-
Reporting: Power BI dashboards (fill rate, channel mix, subs, OOS, chargebacks)
COMMERCE, MARKETPLACES & FULFILLMENT
-
Ecommerce: Shopify with subscription app (e.g., Recharge) for autoship programs
-
Marketplaces: Amazon Seller/Vendor & Chewy integrated to ERP & hub
-
3PL WMS: Pet-focused 3PLs (ShipBob, ShipNetwork, etc.) with lot tracking & nationwide coverage
-
EDI: SPS Commerce / TrueCommerce for pet specialty & retail chains
-
GS1 / UCC128 compliant case, carton & pallet label printing
VIEW THE PET WELLNESS ARCHITECTURE DIAGRAM
See how DataShip connects Dynamics 365, Shopify, Amazon, Chewy, 3PLs, distributors, retailer portals, and EDI into a single operations hub for pet treat & supplement brands.
ONGOING MONITORING & CONTINUOUS OPTIMIZATION
After go-live, DataShip established continuous operational monitoring across BrightTail Naturals' omnichannel footprint. Telemetry across orders, inventory, lots, subscriptions, and EDI flows is streamed into the hub so exceptions are detected early rather than after a chargeback or stockout.
Weekly health checks review integration latency, FBA replenishment thresholds, aging and expiry exposure, and channel-level allocation rules. When metrics drift outside agreed guardrails, planners receive targeted alerts with the root cause already attached.
With this closed-loop model in place, BrightTail Naturals can launch new SKUs, add 3PLs, and open new retail or marketplace channels with confidence—knowing the same DataShip architecture will continue to govern data quality, service levels, and financial performance.