From order to refund: automation within NetSuite
In a long-term collaboration, order processing, fulfillment and return processes have been automated and continuously improved step by step.
The situation at Wovar
Business context & growth
Wovar is a fast-growing Dutch e-commerce organization in building materials and fasteners. With an expanding product range, rising order volume, and new sales channels, the demands on underlying processes increased rapidly.
Operational challenges
Due to Wovar's growth, return processing and financial handling became increasingly complex and labor-intensive. Manual steps accumulated at customer service and finance, leading to delays and error-proneness.
Additionally, there was insufficient real-time insight into order and return statuses, while this became crucial for both internal teams and the warehouse. Existing processes were not designed for scale and speed, making further growth without automation unsustainable.
Core problem: manual return and financial processes did not scale with the growth in order volume.
Cases within this collaboration
Within this collaboration, two complementary solutions were realized, focused on scalably organizing both financial and operational processes.
Scalable return & refund processing
Focus: finance & return processing. From return registration to automated refunds, scalably organized within NetSuite.
Context & background
Before automation, the return and refund process was divided across multiple systems and teams. Return registrations and the associated financial processing were handled in separate steps, with information manually transferred between Returnless and NetSuite.
This approach provided adequate support at lower volumes, but was heavily dependent on manual intermediate steps and coordination between customer service and finance.
Challenge
As return volume increased, this approach became increasingly labor-intensive and error-prone. Customer service and finance were dependent on manual checks and coordination, leading to longer turnaround times and limited scalability.
Without automation, further growth would lead to structurally higher workload and an increased risk of errors in financial processing.
Solution
The solution combines existing systems with custom automation within NetSuite and consists of one integrated return and refund flow:
- Direct connection between Returnless and NetSuite
- Automatic RMA creation per return registration
- Automated assessment based on business logic
- Automatic creation of credit memos and customer refunds
- Fully integrated refund via payment provider PAY
Result
80 to 90% of refunds are processed without manual intervention.
After the return automation, the next logical step was to accelerate the fulfillment process, to also support the operational side in a scalable and real-time manner. This builds on the same NetSuite foundation.
Real-time fulfillment & WMS integration
Focus: fulfillment & logistics. Real-time access to pick and order data from NetSuite for a custom WMS.
Context & background
After automating the return and refund processes, the focus shifted to the fulfillment process. Wovar works with a custom warehouse management system (WMS) used by warehouse staff for order picking and shipping.
For efficient execution, this WMS depends on up-to-date and reliable order and pick information from NetSuite. This data formed the basis for daily warehouse operations and was used for order picking and processing.
Challenge
The fulfillment process in the warehouse is highly dependent on up-to-date and reliable data. Employees need immediate insight into orders, pick lists and statuses to work efficiently.
However, the existing access to NetSuite data was not designed for real-time use within the warehouse. Data was delivered slowly and contained more information than needed for operational processes. This led to waiting times on the warehouse floor and limited the speed and scalability of the fulfillment process, especially during peak volumes.
Solution
The solution consists of custom RESTlets within NetSuite that provide real-time data access for the custom WMS:
- Real-time access to order, pick and fulfillment data
- Delivery of only relevant data for warehouse processes
- Performance-optimized RESTlets for high volumes
- Fully integrated within the existing NetSuite architecture
Result
Response times from 20 seconds to less than 1 second
These results are the direct outcome of one architectural choice: NetSuite as the central foundation, supplemented with targeted customization.
Collaboration & approach
The collaboration with Wovar is not a one-time project, but a long-term partnership. Since the start, we have been working iteratively on improvements, always based on concrete business impact and operational feedback.
Continuous optimization
Prioritization happens via a shared Jira board where Wovar creates and ranks user stories. We pick up the stories with the highest impact first, so every sprint delivers direct value.
Close coordination
Technology, operations and finance are viewed integrally. Automations that save time on the work floor must also be financially sound and run reliably. This requires short lines and direct communication.
Iterative delivery
New functionality is delivered and tested in small steps. This allows us to adjust quickly and keeps risk limited, even with complex integrations.
Architecture
NetSuite as foundation, custom development as accelerator
NetSuite was already the foundation at Wovar. Within our collaboration, we strengthened this foundation with custom automations, focused on scalability, performance and specific e-commerce and warehouse processes.
Scalability: NetSuite grows with the business, from thousands to hundreds of thousands of orders per month, without process restructuring
E-commerce native: Strong support for complex e-commerce processes and integrations with webshops, marketplaces and external systems
Financial foundation: Reliable financial processing and reporting as a basis for further automation
Custom where needed: With SuiteScript and RESTlets, NetSuite is flexibly extensible, so specific processes such as refunds, WMS integrations and performance-critical flows optimally align with Wovar's operations
It's precisely this combination of a stable ERP foundation and targeted custom development that made it possible to further professionalize Wovar's processes without adding complexity.
What the client says about the collaboration
"Arkatech truly feels like part of our team. They understand how our operation runs and deliver solutions that just work. Returns, refunds, fulfillment—it all runs smoothly and we no longer have to worry about it."
Izah Bloemhof
IT Manager – Wovar
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