Ultra Violette’s one regret about moving to NetSuite is that they did not do it sooner. Natalie Pidwell, the brand’s Global Analytics & Systems Manager, put the question to her CFO before joining a panel at the Clutch Melbourne Finance Technology & Transformation Summit 2026, and that was the answer she brought back to the room.
It’s been just two years after go-live, and the finance team have been freed to spend its time on analysis rather than reconciliation, and in a business where products carry a six-month manufacturing lead time, that shift has become a competitive advantage.
TL;DR
- Ultra Violette re-platformed across 5 global markets in 6 months with NetSuite and Annexa
- Finance team shifted from reconciliation work to strategic analysis and decision-making
- Unified data across Australia, UK, US, Canada and Southeast Asia eliminated spreadsheet consolidations
- Trusted inventory data reduced stockouts and excess capital tied up in stock
- Two years post-implementation, the only regret is not doing it sooner
The panel, Finance Leading the Charge: Powering Technology Innovation from Within, brought Pidwell together with finance leaders from Hazeldenes Chicken, ANZ, CPA Australia and the Australian Red Cross to discuss how finance functions have come to lead technology adoption inside their organisations. Much of the conversation turned on how teams use AI, data and cloud ERP to make sharper decisions without loosening their grip on compliance and control, and Ultra Violette’s story had some unique insights to bring to the theme.
Where Ultra Violette started
When Ultra Violette launched in 2019, its early growth ran on Shopify, Xero and Cin7, and as Pidwell shared on stage, both systems served the business well in those years. The pressure arrived with expansion, as the brand opened new regions and set up new legal entities and the team found itself spending more and more time on data validation, reconciliation, reporting and consolidation. Multiple subsidiaries were running on separate instances of accounting and inventory software and consolidation across them depended on Excel. A capital raise in 2023 made the problem even more visible, when bringing information together from every system for prospective investors turned into a major undertaking. With a US launch approaching in 2024, the business knew its systems had to be ready first.
A six-month re-platform across five markets
Working with Annexa, Ultra Violette re-platformed its operations across five global markets in six months. NetSuite OneWorld now unifies financials, inventory and operations across Australia, the UK, the US, Canada and Southeast Asia, with Celigo iPaaS connecting NetSuite to four Shopify sites, four 3PL partners, EDI trading partners including SPS Commerce and the brand’s production partners. Multi-currency reporting, intercompany stock transfers, batch-level inventory tracking and regional compliance requirements are managed centrally, replacing the spreadsheets and disconnected systems that had carried the business to that point.
The project story Pidwell told on the panel explains how a team of that size delivered it. Ultra Violette knew it could not backfill roles to free people up, so staff carried their day jobs alongside the project. The business appointed an internal project manager as the single point of contact with Annexa, involved in design and testing throughout, and Pidwell described that decision as invaluable. The whole company was brought along, with milestones celebrated as each phase closed and a competition during user acceptance testing that rewarded whoever could find the most faults, which meant a great deal was caught and fixed before go-live. Partway through, Ultra Violette asked to bring the go-live date forward by a month to meet the US launch, and Annexa resourced the change and delivered on the new date.
| Project element | Before NetSuite | After NetSuite |
|---|---|---|
| Systems | Shopify, Xero, Cin7 (disconnected) | NetSuite OneWorld unified platform |
| Geographic coverage | Limited multi-region capability | Australia, UK, US, Canada, Southeast Asia |
| Consolidation | Manual Excel-based consolidation | Automated central consolidation |
| Finance team focus | Data validation and reconciliation | Analysis and strategic decision-making |
| Inventory data | Unreliable, siloed across subsidiaries | Trusted, real-time sell-through data |
| Stock management | High risk of stockouts and excess inventory | Optimized levels, reduced capital tied up |
| Multi-currency Reporting | Manual, error-prone | Centralized, compliant across regions |
| Project timeline | — | 6 months across 5 markets |
What two years of clean data has done
The outcomes Jane Furphy, Head of Operations, described at the time of the implementation have deepened. Reconciliation is faster and inventory costing is more accurate, and teams across the business now work from the same data. Pidwell’s account from the finance side is that the team has become analytical and proactive in how it operates. The monthly management report has changed character, because the team knows the numbers are correct and spends its time interpreting them instead of preparing them. Gross margin has become a shared focus, with finance working alongside sales and operations to influence it, and the business is now far more certain about where the year will land on profit and on cash.
The inventory position is where the six-month lead time makes the difference. Trusted sell-through data now feeds the order plan, so the business is holding stock in a much healthier balance than before, with less risk of stockouts and less capital tied up in excess. For a brand selling through four Shopify sites and a network of global retail partners, that is a direct commercial result of getting the data layer right.
Looking ahead to AI
Pidwell describes Ultra Violette as AI curious, and the panel discussion on balancing innovation with control was close to home for a small team that already carries a substantial compliance load. Her advice to finance leaders beginning a transformation was to choose a strong implementation partner and to remember that the customer brings as much to the project as the partner does. In our experience a finance team that already trusts its numbers is the one best placed to hand tasks to an AI agent, and Ultra Violette has spent two years building exactly that position.
Next steps
If your multi-market operations are constraining growth, if data consolidation is consuming your finance team’s bandwidth, or if inventory visibility is impacting your ability to manage stock across global markets, the Ultra Violette case study documents how a five-market e-commerce brand moved from fragmented systems to a unified platform. Contact our team to discuss what a comparable transformation could deliver for your organisation.
Frequently asked questions
How long did the NetSuite implementation take?
Ultra Violette completed the re-platform across five global markets in six months. The project was accelerated by one month partway through to align with the company’s US launch, and Annexa resourced the change to deliver on the new timeline.
What systems did Ultra Violette use before NetSuite?
The business originally ran on Shopify for e-commerce, Xero for accounting, and Cin7 for inventory management. These systems served the company well in its early years, but became fragmented as Ultra Violette expanded into new regions and set up multiple legal entities.
What was the main challenge that drove the need for NetSuite?
As Ultra Violette expanded globally and opened new legal entities, the finance and operations teams spent increasing amounts of time on data validation, reconciliation, and consolidation across disconnected systems. Multiple subsidiaries ran separate instances of accounting and inventory software, and consolidation depended entirely on Excel. A capital raise in 2023 made the problem even more visible, and the impending US launch in 2024 made system consolidation critical.
How many countries does Ultra Violette now operate in through NetSuite?
NetSuite OneWorld now unifies financials, inventory and operations across five regions: Australia, the UK, the US, Canada and Southeast Asia. Each region operates its own legal entity while maintaining a unified data layer for reporting and analysis.
What integrations does NetSuite connect to at Ultra Violette?
Celigo iPaaS connects NetSuite to four Shopify sites for e-commerce, four 3PL partners for fulfillment, EDI trading partners including SPS Commerce, and the brand’s production partners. This creates a seamless flow of orders, inventory and financial data across the entire value chain.
How has the finance team’s role changed since go-live?
The finance team shifted from spending time on data validation, reconciliation and reporting to focusing on analysis and strategic decision-making. With trusted data now available, they interpret the numbers rather than preparing them. Gross margin has become a shared focus between finance, sales and operations, and the business is far more certain about profit and cash forecasts.
What impact has clean data had on inventory management?
Trusted sell-through data now feeds the order plan, allowing Ultra Violette to hold stock in a much healthier balance. With a six-month manufacturing lead time, more accurate forecasting reduces the risk of both stockouts and excess inventory tied up in capital. This is a direct competitive advantage for a brand selling through multiple Shopify sites and a network of global retail partners.
What’s Ultra Violette’s approach to AI and automation going forward?
Pidwell describes Ultra Violette as “AI curious.” With clean, trusted data now in place, the team is well-positioned to hand tasks to AI agents while maintaining the compliance and control that matter to a growing multinational business. The foundation of trusted numbers is critical before deploying automation at scale.
Would Ultra Violette recommend NetSuite to other scaling e-commerce brands?
Ultra Violette’s only regret about moving to NetSuite is that they did not do it sooner. Pidwell’s advice to finance leaders is to choose a strong implementation partner and remember that the customer brings as much to the project as the partner does. Annexa’s ability to resource changes quickly and the company’s own involvement in design and testing were critical success factors.