Boody adopts NetSuite to streamline global operations

Boody has adopted NetSuite, implemented with support from Annexa. The system now underpins the retailer's operations across multiple regions and sales channels.

The Australian apparel brand made the change after rapid international growth put pressure on a patchwork of systems across the business. Founded in 2012, Boody sells bamboo-based underwear and everyday essentials through direct-to-consumer, business-to-business, wholesale and marketplace channels.

Its expansion included taking control of the brand from distributors in the US and UK, adding complexity across currencies, markets and fulfilment arrangements. As volumes rose, Boody needed a single system for orders, inventory and financials instead of separate tools in different regions.

Before the project, some parts of the business had no enterprise resource planning system, with orders passing directly from online stores into third-party logistics warehouse management systems. That setup limited real-time visibility and increased reliance on manual checks, particularly during heavy trading periods.

Peak retail events put the arrangement under further strain. During Black Friday trading, teams had to closely monitor system performance, hold back reporting and delay non-essential processing to keep operations stable.

System overhaul

Annexa implemented NetSuite as Boody's central enterprise resource planning platform, bringing together finance, inventory and sales order data across regions. The retailer kept parts of its existing commerce stack, using Celigo to connect three Shopify stores, its product information management platform and several global third-party logistics partners.

Other connected systems included SPS Commerce for electronic data interchange with six global retailers and NuOrder for wholesale transactions. The project was completed in about nine and a half months with what Boody described as a lean internal team.

Andy Millingen, Head of Technology at Boody, said choosing the right implementation partner was critical.

"Knowing what an ERP implementation can be like, how intense it can get, having a strong partner was super important for us. We're not just doing a few orders a day - we're doing many orders a minute and 5-10x during the peak - so it mattered that there was a strong understanding of D2C requirements and the technical skills behind them.

"With the majority of orders coming through the D2C channel, alongside wholesale and marketplaces, Boody's operating model depends on systems that can perform reliably under constant load and extreme peak demand. As the business grew across Australia, the US, the UK and Europe, that requirement became harder to meet.

"Before NetSuite, Boody was operating with a fragmented systems landscape. Different regions were running on different tools and in some cases there was no ERP at all, with orders flowing directly from their online store into 3PL WMS. Without a unified global system for orders, inventory and financials, Boody struggled to gain real-time visibility across the business, leading to a greater dependence on manual checks and temporary fixes.

"Peak trading periods exposed those limitations most clearly. During high-volume events like Black Friday, teams had to be ultra-vigilant to keep systems running, limiting reporting and delaying non-essential processing to protect performance. As volumes continued to grow, that level of risk and operational effort was no longer sustainable."

He said the company needed a platform that could manage its mix of channels and geographies without failing during traffic spikes.

"We have multiple channels, multiple countries and thousands of SKUs. We already do a high volume, but we see a huge spike during the Black Friday period. Having flexible, scalable, cloud-based platforms to manage sales, procurement, outbound logistics and finance, and integrate cleanly with other systems, is so important. There are plenty of systems that can effectively do wholesale, but for the D2C volume that we see, we needed something that could actually handle those peak periods."

Trading test

Boody said the new setup handled high order volumes in the first week after going live. It then processed sales across a three-week Black Friday promotional period without performance issues.

The group now runs direct-to-consumer, business-to-business, wholesale and marketplace operations across Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK and Europe on a single platform. The new arrangement has reduced manual reconciliation and improved oversight of orders, stock and financial data across regions.

The architecture has also been used to add a new UK fulfilment partner, pointing to a more standardised approach to integrating logistics providers as the retailer expands. For a business that depends heavily on online sales, the ability to connect storefronts, back-office systems and warehouse partners has become central to handling volatility in demand.

Millingen said the project depended on close collaboration between the retailer and the implementation partner.

"We built really strong working relationships with the Annexa team. There were some excellent technical contributors, and the structured implementation process helped keep the complex project safely moving forward. Safely delivering a transformation of that scale in roughly nine and a half months with a relatively lean internal project team was a remarkable achievement."

Shaun Greenblo said the shift has given management a clearer view of the business as it grows internationally.

"Moving to a single global platform has given us much greater visibility and control across the business. It's an important step in building the operational maturity required to support long-term growth. Annexa understood the realities of our business from day one. That understanding made a real difference in delivering a platform that works at scale and holds up when volume is at its highest."