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HobbyLink Japan selects NetSuite OneWorld to manage global business growth

Global Toy Supplier to Gain Visibility, Efficiency and Improve the Customer Experience with NetSuite Cloud ERP

NETSUITE SUITEWORLD 2016, SAN JOSE, Calif. and TOKYO, 18 May 2016—NetSuite Co., Ltd., the Japanese subsidiary of NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), the industry's leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites, today announced that HobbyLink Japan Inc., distributor of Japanese toys and hobby products to consumers and retail businesses across the globe, has selected NetSuite OneWorld to support its global expansion plans. HobbyLink will run its mission-critical business processes on NetSuite, including accounting, financials, inventory management and order management.

Established in 1995, HobbyLink Japan, supplies some of the world’s finest hobby kits, figures and toys, including a comprehensive selection of Gundam, Sci-Fi, anime and military models, books and supplies from a 4,000-square-meter facility in Tochigi. It has a catalogue of 125,000 SKUs and actual inventory of 60,000 items that can be ordered online and shipped to customers and collectors around the world with large markets in the US, Australia, the UK, Canada, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Malaysia and the Philippines. Currently, 30 percent of sales go through hobby shops and the other 70 percent through the ecommerce site.

As Japanese pop culture gained popularity in markets around the world, the company experienced exponential growth. While the company enjoyed this business growth, at the same time, it had challenges with its existing on-premise accounting system and numerous Excel sheets that created extensive manual work and were error prone. The old system required heavy customization and could only offer basic reporting capabilities. Employees had to hand code most of the customer queries and responses. This ultimately hampered the company’s ability to manage growth.

After a rigorous evaluation of software solutions including SAP and Microsoft Dynamics, HobbyLink chose NetSuite OneWorld for the following reasons:

  • Superior inventory management that can provide visibility into stock levels and when to replenish to help avoid out of stock or over-stock issues.
  • Efficient order management that can centralise all orders and process them efficiently, helping to eliminate manual processes such as hand written orders and notes.
  • Real-time visibility with one single unified financial system of record and financial reporting across the entire Organisation.
  • 360-degree view of its customers, allowing the company to better segment its customer base and tailor promotions to better meet demand for specific products and for specific geographic marketplaces.
  • A modern, intuitive user interface that will require minimal training for staff.
  • Productivity improvements by automating customer service responses and more quickly and efficiently resolving customer issues.

Additionally, NetSuite OneWorld will manage HobbyLink’s “Private Warehouse” System, which will allow customers to pay for an order but hold them in the company’s warehouse until they are ready to receive them, a key benefit to collectors who want to consolidate purchases made over a period of time and only pay shipping costs once.

“With NetSuite OneWorld, we expect to have clear insights into the business and business performance and I believe that there will be significant productivity improvements as the system will allow us to get near-instant access to business critical information,” said HobbyLink CEO Mr. Scott Hards.

“In addition, NetSuite OneWorld will be invaluable for assessing successes and failures in some of the product segments. We believe with NetSuite, we will be able to effectively manage our inventory to keep our stock levels and types at a point where we can execute well on demand and our customer service department can give the most up-to-date information to our customers. HobbyLink’s aim is to continue to supply the world’s finest hobby products and toys to its customers and provide an exceptional customer experience.”

“HobbyLink joins the growing number of businesses that see the value of bringing their mission-critical data together in NetSuite,” said Tomoyuki Nakanishi, VP and GM Japan for NetSuite. “With the flexibility, agility and scalability of NetSuite’s cloud ERP, these businesses can continue to grow and profit.”

About Hobby Link Japan
Established in 1995, HobbyLink Japan distributes Japanese and international-brand plastic models, toys and figures to consumers and resellers around the world through its web sites at hlj.com and hlj.co.jp. The company also wholesales imported hobby products in Japan through its Beaver Corporation subsidiary.

Today, more than 30,000 companies and subsidiaries depend on NetSuite to run complex, mission-critical business processes globally in the cloud. Since its inception in 1998, NetSuite has established itself as the leading provider of cloud-based financials/enterprise resource planning (ERP) and omnichannel commerce software applications for businesses of all sizes. Many FORTUNE 100 companies rely on NetSuite to accelerate innovation and business transformation. NetSuite continues its success in delivering the best cloud business management software to businesses around the world, enabling them to lower IT costs significantly while increasing productivity, as the global adoption of the cloud accelerates.

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For more information about NetSuite please visit www.netsuite.co.uk.

For more information about NetSuite K.K., please visit www.netsuite.co.jp.

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