To Add-on or not to Add-on? That is the question.

Take two retail businesses...

Biz One is high volume, low margin and Biz Two is low volume, high margin. Both use Xero and both want better cost management, stock control and sales insight. Time for an add-on, right? Well, not necessarily. Just because there’s a Xero add-on available for what you want to do and it comes recommended by someone else in the business, doesn’t mean that it’s right for your business. It depends what you are trying to achieve.
 

Biz One

In the case of Biz One, a wholesaler, their manufacturing costs are nil. Lots of product in and lots of product with “pick, pack and ship” when they’re ready to go out the door. Pretty straightforward, so integrating an Add-on in this scenario is a pretty cost-effective solution: some due diligence, set-up costs and moderate on-going data entry.

What Add-on did we recommend? Unleashed.
 

Biz Two

Biz Two is entirely different. They manufacture the product that they retail. After closer investigation with us, they realised that for them to use an Add-on they way they wanted to would require: 1) substantial dollar investment in set-up, and 2) significant, ongoing staff resource to manage the product life-cycle. Although there are Add-ons for the manufacturing space, no simple, cost effective solution is available to them that does what they need it to do.

What did they decide? As they are able to manage their business without the use of an Add-on, they have shelved the idea until the right solution is found.

Alliott NZ are a Xero Gold Partner, Unleashed Bronze Partner, Smart Payroll and Receipt Bank Partner, and a Vend Advisor.

To find out which Add-on is right for your business, please call us on 09 520 9200 or email enquiries@alliott.co.nz

Date: June, 2014
Authors: Emma Clare | Jill Robertson | Alliott NZ Ltd