Replacing a 12-Year Legacy System Across Multiple Countries

The Challenge

Feature requests went unanswered. Critical integrations — including electronic trade documentation for international shipments through FedEx — were declined because they were “too complicated.” The demand forecasting algorithm hadn’t been updated in over a decade. There was no support for handheld barcode scanners, which meant warehouse staff were still walking to fixed touch-screen stations for every scan.

The operation was sophisticated. They managed receiving workflows where manufacturers shipped different pack configurations than what was ordered — a common pattern in optical where a 90-unit order might arrive as three 30-packs with different SKUs. They needed lot tracking, expiry date management, and the ability to handle substitution logic during receiving. Their existing system handled some of this, but extending it further was no longer possible.

The owner wasn’t looking for a cheaper tool. He was looking for a platform he could grow into for the next decade — one that could handle robotics integration, AI-driven demand forecasting, and the operational complexity of a multi-country optical business.

Why SkuNexus

The evaluation was thorough. The owner spent more than two hours across multiple demo sessions, showed his actual warehouse workflows on video, and asked deeply technical questions about 2D barcode support, lot number tracking, EDI integration, demand forecasting algorithms, and substitution workflows during receiving.

Every question was answered. Not always with “yes, we have that out of the box,” but with honest answers about what was standard functionality and what would require customization. That transparency was the differentiator.

The Magento and PHP heritage behind SkuNexus resonated with the technical team. The source code access meant the retailer wouldn’t be locked into a vendor’s roadmap the way they had been for twelve years. And the company direction — AI/ML capabilities, robotics compatibility, continued investment in the platform — aligned with the owner’s vision for future-proofing the operation.

“Everything I’ve thrown at you, you’ve been able to basically indicate that you can do either out of the box or with a bit of development. Which is quite interesting.”

O&C Owner & CEOInternational Optical Retailer

What Was Built

Multi-Country Order Routing

Orders from multiple BigCommerce storefronts across different countries route through a unified decision engine. The system evaluates inventory levels, geographic proximity, and shipping constraints to determine the optimal fulfillment path for every order.

Replacement SKU Receiving

Optical products frequently arrive in different pack configurations than what was ordered. A purchase order for 90 units might arrive as three boxes of 30, each with a different manufacturer SKU. SkuNexus handles the SKU substitution during receiving, matching the inbound product to the original PO without manual intervention.

Lot Tracking and Expiry Management

Every product lot is tracked from receiving through fulfillment. Expiry dates drive FEFO (first-expired, first-out) picking logic, ensuring customers always receive product with the longest remaining shelf life.

FedEx Electronic Trade Documents

The integration that the previous vendor refused to build. SkuNexus generates FedEx electronic trade documentation for international shipments automatically, eliminating the manual paperwork that had been slowing down cross-border fulfillment.

The Results

The retailer moved from a system that had been stagnant for years to a platform designed to evolve. The replacement SKU workflow, the lot tracking, the international shipping automation — these aren’t features that were available and turned on. They were built specifically for this operation because the platform allows it.

For the first time in over a decade, the team has a technology partner that responds to feature requests instead of declining them.