Now that you have an understanding of why apparel software is important and what each type of software can do for your business, it is easy to see why each of those individual software solutions may not be powerful enough on their own. There are a lot of drawbacks to using individual pieces of software tools and finding a way to work them together.
While it is true that a lot of software products that have been designed for the apparel and fashion industry are able to integrate with one another, the end result can still leave you feeling like something is missing. An all-in-one apparel software solution, like ApparelMagic, is going to be able to combine all of those tools into one platform. This means that an all-in-one software product can serve as the one central hub of all of the processes and information that you need to keep your business running without all of the additional leg work.
Cost
When you choose an ERP, whether that is a cloud-based system or one that exists on-premises, it is going to be an investment. These tools are not free and some of them can be very expensive as they come with different sets of premium features. One thing that many of them tend to lack, as you read earlier, is an accounting module. This means that if you found the perfect ERP but it was missing that critical piece, you would then need to further invest in more software to get the results that you needed.
On top of the investment for the products themselves, there is the time investment of figuring out a way to bridge the gap between the pieces of software if there wasn’t a native way for them to come together so that they could be integrated. This leads to more time being used for finding a solution, and time is always money.
When you choose an all-in-one product, everything you need is going to be there at one specific price point. You won’t have to worry about the system needing any extra bells and whistles that are going to thin your budget out even more. For example, ApparelMagic costs $1,440 or so for the basic plan and $3,060 for the professional plan, annually. There are some ERP software options that cost roughly $1,000 a month and don’t include CRM tools, which would tack on an additional $80 a month or way more depending on the product that is best suited for you.
When you purchase an all-in-one tool, you’re going to be able to save a lot more money.
Ease of Integration
Another key factor that makes all-in-one apparel management systems more desirable is that you never have to worry if the tools you want are going to be able to fit together. There are some ERP programs that do not have the capabilities to import data from other PLM programs and there are countless examples of this. When you choose to go with an all-in-one, it can go without saying that everything is already all in one place.
With everything being already integrated, there is going to be less of a learning curve when it comes to fitting everything together. You will also never be forced into a corner where you have to choose between two tools just because one is compatible with your current system. With everything ready to be used together, you will be able to work more efficiently almost immediately.
When your business runs more efficiently, and all your tools are working together to provide you with important data and insight, things will go much smoother. When things are going smoother, you can make progress more quickly which leads to profiting more quickly. An all-in-one software solution like ApparelMagic helps break down the barriers between complex and completely separate tools and allows them to work together immediately for the benefit of your business.
Visibility
Finally, the last thing we’d like to highlight when it comes to using an all-in-one solution like ApparelMagic is the visibility or transparency of everything. There won’t be any delay in the software communicating and keeping all of your information up to date across all platforms for everyone who relies on the most accurate data to help keep your business pushing towards its goals.
All-in-one apparel management software programs typically feature clean, intuitive, and easy-to-navigate dashboards where all of your available tools are right there. That means that it is easier for you to use these tools in the ways that you need to. It also means that anyone in any area of your business will always have access to the data they need without any delays. It won’t be so confusing to understand what’s going on in the accounting department and how that relates to last quarter when all of that data is organized into just one place.
You will be able to understand what products are the most in-demand and will be immediately aware if you don’t have enough raw materials to meet the demands. The visibility that you get from all of your software tools existing under one digital roof can be priceless to your success.