Leading global ecommerce and marketplace accelerator Pattern today announced the release of ‘Shelf’ – a powerful new inventory and supply chain technology that provides Australian brands with unparalleled visibility and control of their products across all ecommerce and wholesale channels. 

Incorporated within Pattern’s ecommerce acceleration tech suite, Shelf helps brands create new supply chain efficiencies, while also improving inventory accuracy, real-time tracking and enhancing demand forecasting.

Shelf also offers brands an evolutionary leap on traditional inventory and warehouse management solutions. It does this through an integrated approach to inventory and marketplace management, along with seamless connections with major platforms such as Shopify, Amazon, eBay, and Catch. 

“Brands are selling across more channels than ever before. In a complex sales ecosystem, it is critical that brands have accurate visibility of their stock to make informed business decisions and meet customer demand,” said Sean Walsh, Director at Pattern Australia.

Australian brands have an enormous opportunity for growing sales through emerging marketplaces with Pattern’s ‘Marketplace Consumer Trends Report – 2024, revealing that 94% of consumers planned to shop on marketplaces like eBay, Amazon and Catch in the year ahead.

“In an environment where marketplaces like Amazon are attracting a growing share of sales, brands must have inventory and supply chain systems in place tailored to these emerging channels,”

“Shelf incorporates uniquely pre-configured connectors that simplify marketplace selling and inventory management. This is a critical feature for brands looking to broaden their online footprint and access and service new customer bases via marketplaces,” said Walsh.

Shelf provides brands 100% visibility of each unit of inventory through the lifecycle, from order to receipt at the delivery address. Its real-time inventory tracking allows brands to effectively communicate accurate delivery updates across multiple sales channels, enhancing customer communication and increasing buyer satisfaction.

Accurate inventory visibility ensures correct stock levels are maintained and overallocation or out-of-stock situations are avoided, to prevent costly wastage and lost sales situations. Prior to the development of the Shelf technology this was a challenge at scale.

Through optimising warehouse space and improving inventory turnover, Shelf can also assist brands with reducing storage costs. Additionally, Shelf’s ability to efficiently plan picking and put-away routes within the warehouse minimises time and resources by 40%, creating opportunities for brands to save on operational costs.

“Shelf is more than just an inventory solution; it’s a growth enabler for brands,” said Walsh. “Pattern has observed the challenges brands face in managing inventory and warehouse operations when scaling their ecommerce presence across multiple channels, including marketplaces,”

“Shelf addresses these challenges head-on with powerful supply chain tools. These help brands meet customer demand and operate successfully, no matter what ecommerce sales channel they are doing business through.” she said.