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FLAGSHIP CASE STUDY · RETAIL & E COMMERCE

Melissa Odabash · Luxury Swim & Resortwear

Bringing logistics and inventory control in‑house, replacing an expensive 3PL model with a unified, data‑driven retail & e‑commerce operating system.

Retail & E‑Commerce · Global luxury swimwear brand · Wholesale + DTC + marketplaces

THE CHALLENGE

BRAND CONTEXT

  • Global luxury swim & resortwear brand.

  • Fast‑growing DTC channel + high‑expectation wholesale accounts.

  • International warehouse footprint (UK & Italy).

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CORE STRUCTURAL ISSUES

  • 3PL absorbing ~20% of every order.

  • Inventory + shipping data trapped in external systems.

  • Disconnected Shopify, JOOR, DSCO, and warehouse tools.

OLD OPERATING MODEL

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  • Third‑party logistics provider taking ~20% of order value and holding core operational data.

  • Disconnected systems across e‑commerce, wholesale, and warehouses—Shopify, 3PL, Optima, JOOR, DSCO, and local tools not speaking the same language.

  • Heavy reliance on Excel for allocations, availability checks, buy planning, and performance reporting.

  • Limited real‑time view of global inventory positions across UK, Italy, and other channels.

 

KEY PAIN POINTS

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  • Margin pressure from 3PL fees combined with write‑offs driven by inaccurate or delayed inventory data.

  • Difficulty answering basic questions quickly: what is available, where, for which channel, at what cost.

  • Manual, error‑prone reporting for wholesale and retail partners using exported CSVs and Excel workbooks.

  • Slow response to buying and replenishment decisions due to fragmented, inconsistent data.

THE DATASHIP SOLUTION

DataShip partnered with Melissa Odabash to bring logistics, inventory control, and fulfillment back in‑house and replace a 3PL‑owned black box with a single, integrated fashion stack. DTC, wholesale, and global warehouses now run on the same governed backbone rather than disconnected tools and ad‑hoc processes.

WHAT DATASHIP DELIVERED

IN HOUSE FULFILLMENT

Fishbowl‑powered inventory + warehouse control fully owned by the brand.

SHIPPO WORKFLOWS

Automated label creation, carrier routing, and shipment events.

GLOBAL WAREHOUSE SYNC

Optima UK/IT systems feeding a single global‑inventory truth.

SHOPIFY INTEGRATION

Clean, tightly connected DTC environment synced directly to core inventory.

WHOLESALE INTEGRATIONS

JOOR + DSCO unified into the same inventory pool, no rekeying required.

CUSTOM APPS & REPORTING

Purpose‑built tools for buying, allocations, and live performance insights.

TECH STACK & INTEGRATIONS

CORE OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS

Fishbowl acts as the inventory and warehouse backbone, with Shopify capturing DTC demand and Optima systems reflecting regional warehouse positions in the UK and Italy.

INTEGRATION & ORDER FLOWS

APIs and integration services connect Shopify, Fishbowl, Shippo, JOOR, DSCO, and Optima into a single order and inventory flow, with events driving allocations, shipments, and status updates.

REPORTING & PLANNING LAYER

Curated reports, dashboards, and planning tools surface inventory, sell‑through, and margin performance across channels—replacing static Excel packs with live views.

AT A GLANCE RETAIL METRICS

$500K–$600K

Estimated annual savings from 3PL fee removal and efficiency gains

Fewer fire‑drills

Reduced time spent reconciling data and building manual reports

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20%+

Margin previously absorbed by 3PL, now retained by the brand (illustrative)

One truth

Single global view of inventory and demand across channels and regions

INTEGRATION FOOTPRINT (ILLUSTRATIVE)

  • Fishbowl at the center for inventory, warehouse workflows, and SKU‑level control across regions.

  • Shopify for DTC and retail, synchronized to Fishbowl for availability, pricing, and order capture.

  • Shippo for label creation, carrier selection, and tracking updates.

  • JOOR and DSCO integrations providing live wholesale and marketplace order flows into the same inventory pool.

  • Optima UK/IT warehouse systems integrated into a single inventory ledger and global stock view.

  • Custom APIs and services to drive buying tools, allocation apps, and live performance reporting.

SOLUTION BUILDING BLOCKS

CENTRAL INVENTORY GRAPH

Fishbowl‑driven inventory model spanning styles, colors, sizes, and regions with clear channel entitlements for DTC vs wholesale.

WHOLESALE & MARKETPLACES

JOOR and DSCO flows normalized into the same stack, supporting key retail partners and boutiques.

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DTC & RETAIL COMMERCE

Shopify configured for luxury brand experience, tied directly to inventory and fulfillment logic.

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BUYING & PLANNING APPS

Custom tools for buying, in‑season reorders, and global allocations, sourced from a single source of truth instead of ad‑hoc spreadsheets.

OPERATING MODEL TRANSFORMATION

BEFORE DATASHIP

 

  • 3PL controlling inventory and charging ~20% of order value.

  • Excel as the primary operating tool for allocations and reporting.

  • Fragmented views across Shopify, warehouses, JOOR, DSCO, and Optima.

  • Delayed financial and inventory visibility across regions.

AFTER DATASHIP

 

  • In‑house fulfillment and inventory with full margin control.

  • Excel repositioned as a flexible analysis tool, not the operational system.

  • Single inventory ledger powering DTC, wholesale, and marketplaces.

  • Faster, more reliable insights for buying, planning, and cash decisions.

DATA QUALITY, REPORTING & THE NEW ROLE OF EXCEL

A major part of the engagement was restructuring product, order, and inventory data. Style/size/color hierarchies, legacy SKUs, and historical sales were normalized so every system could rely on the same accurate source of truth.

 

  • Systematic data cleanup and remapping for SKUs, variants, and historical orders across Fishbowl, Shopify, and warehouse systems.

  • Curated reporting layer with automated, near real‑time views for wholesale, e‑commerce, and finance teams.

  • Excel usage refocused on ad‑hoc modeling and analysis rather than day‑to‑day operational control.


The outcome is a stack where structured systems own transactional truth, while Excel is used intentionally for scenario analysis—not as the database of record.

AI ENHANCED DEMAND PLANNING & MANUFACTURING FORECASTS

To support global production cycles and reduce overbuying, DataShip added an AI‑driven planning layer that reads historical sales, seasonality, channel behavior, sizing curves, and trend velocity. The result is tighter production aligned to real demand and fewer stockouts during peak periods.

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  • Machine‑learning models trained on multi‑year sell‑through patterns across DTC, wholesale, marketplaces, and regional warehouses.

  • Automated buy‑plan recommendations aligned to real demand curves rather than intuition‑driven forecasting.

  • Dynamic sizing‑curve forecasting that adapts to shifts in regional and seasonal buying behavior.

  • Tight integration with custom buying and allocation tools—forecasts directly inform production, replenishment, and open‑to‑buy decisions.

 

This forecasting layer replaced spreadsheet‑based guesswork with programmatic demand planning—supporting tighter inventory control, healthier margin, and more confident commitments to major retail partners.

FINANCIAL IMPACT & OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

By eliminating 3PL dependency and consolidating onto an in‑house, integrated stack, Melissa Odabash recaptured margin, reduced operational noise, and built a cleaner platform for future growth.

 

  • Estimated annual savings in the range of $500K–$600K through reduced 3PL fees, better inventory accuracy, and fewer fire‑drills.

  • Significant reduction in time spent assembling reports, with key views now updated automatically.

  • Faster decision‑making for buying, replenishment, and markdowns based on trustworthy, live data.

 

These figures are illustrative, but the pattern is clear: bringing core logistics and inventory intelligence in‑house allows the brand to keep more of every sale while running a calmer, more predictable operation.

LIFE AFTER DATASHIP & BRAND CONFIDENCE

With DataShip's architecture in place, Melissa Odabash now operates from a single, global view of inventory and demand. Workflows that once required manual reconciliation and cross‑system checks now run on a predictable, governed operational backbone.


Fulfillment is faster, inventory is more accurate, and reporting is instant. Beyond removing 3PL fees, the brand benefits from fewer errors, sharper buying decisions, and far less operational drag.

 

  • Sales and merchandising teams can confidently commit to key partners knowing the underlying data is consistent.

  • Operations teams execute from clear playbooks instead of custom 3PL workflows and legacy spreadsheets.

  • Leadership can see the financial and operational impact of decisions in weeks, not quarters.

“Before DataShip, we were dependent on a 3PL that controlled our data, our costs, and our ability to scale. Today, every part of our global operation runs on a system we own, understand, and trust. The stability we have now has changed how we plan, how we buy, and how confidently we grow.”

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— Founder, Melissa Odabash

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