at a glance
With NetSuite and Annexa, Lighting Illusions rebuilt its operations for scale – unifying finance, digitising fulfilment and connecting teams across Australia and Malaysia.
- Xero
- Dear Inventory
- Retail Express
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Digitised warehouse operations with NetSuite WMS
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Enabled multi-entity operations across Australia and Malaysia
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Centralised finance, procurement and inventory
the client
About Lighting Illusions
Founded in the early 2000s, Lighting Illusions is a multi-store lighting retailer with commercial and online operations across Australia, supported by a growing international presence in Malaysia. With a product range spanning decorative, architectural and smart lighting, the business serves both retail and wholesale customers through bespoke eCommerce platforms and in-store locations.
We’ve managed to find exceptional resources in Annexa that have helped us implement great systems and processes. There’s still more to do, but we’ve built a strong foundation and the support’s there when we need it.Travis BishopChief Technology Officer, Lighting Illusions
the challenge
No single source of operational truth
As Lighting Illusions grew, so did its technology sprawl. Retail was managed in one system, wholesale in another and finance reporting across both was done in Xero – with spreadsheets filling the gaps.
For Chief Technology Officer, Travis Bishop, the turning point came when the business could no longer operate effectively across multiple systems due to reporting delays, manual data workarounds and no centralised view of performance.
“There were limitations from the existing systems,” said Travis Bishop, “If we only operated a retail store, Retail Express would have been fine. If we were only running a wholesale business, Dear Inventory would have worked. But we are a large company with multiple arms, and it was increasingly difficult to bring all of this information together in one central location.”
At the same time, the business was expanding its footprint in Asia. With teams in Malaysia managing purchasing and finance, it was becoming harder to stay aligned across jurisdictions, processes and systems.
Lighting Illusions managed Australian retail and wholesale with Malaysian support, and used Oracle NetSuite to centralise operations and finance in a single, configurable cloud platform with multi-entity, multi-currency, tailored workflows and an intuitive interface.
the results
Operational gains across borders
Implemented by Annexa, Oracle NetSuite has delivered a scalable platform that powers Lighting Illusions’ finance, procurement, inventory and warehouse operations across Australia and Malaysia.
But it was NetSuite WMS that drove the biggest operational shift. Barcode scanning, bin logic and real-time tracking replaced manual processes, helping the team move faster, reduce reliance on individual knowledge and dispatch accurately from day one.
The rollout also included a fully integrated Malaysian subsidiary, with a shared chart of accounts, multi-currency support and tax localisation. With both countries operating in the same environment, the business now benefits from consistent processes, centralised data and consolidated group-wide reporting.
Day-to-day finance and purchasing operations are now handled from Malaysia using the same workflows and system access as the Australian team. As Travis Bishop explains, “NetSuite lets us bring the Malaysian team into the same system with the same chart of accounts, reporting and visibility. It’s both freed up the Australian team and made onboarding faster.”
Lighting Illusions continues to partner with Annexa to assess additional native and third-party solutions that build on its modern NetSuite environment.
Previously, orders were picked by one person in the morning who remembered where all the stock was in the warehouse. Now, our ability to dispatch and move product is traceable and reportable and we’re fulfilling far more orders with the same team. Without NetSuite WMS, we’d probably need 50% more staff.Travis BishopChief Technology Officer, Lighting Illusions