Browntape and Unicommerce are both synonymous with centralized order processing and inventory management in India . We have used both Browntape and Unicommerce extensively and to tell you frankly no system is perfect. With time you will get used to the bugs and issues which keep on creeping up from all sides. Both the systems have proper integration with all the major marketplaces and are equally good for order processing and inventory management.
Both are good products. One of the issues that we keep on hearing from our customers is that Unicommerce as well as Browntape keep on having order sync issues. But actually it is not their fault as they have API integrations with so many external systems, at times when the marketplace is having some issues or the API is down, the same issues creep in these tools too.
Unicommerce has only SAAS tool which is very complicated to setup. You have to basically setup the whole thing on your own. Until and unless you or your team is technically good, you won’t be able to set it up. No doubt they claim it to be a DIY tool but believe me it is not. In case you are able to set it up, it will not so seamlessly take care of all the online accounts and basically you can use the tool for processing the orders and syncing your inventory across all the marketplaces. Browntape on the other hand has a very similar SAAS tool compared to unicommerce but in one particular space Browntape is far more superior than Unicommerce and that is in reporting. Browntape has beautiful dashboard and provides a lot of easy to understand reports which can really be used to improve your business. Browntape also has a managed enterprise solution. But as per our experience we would not recommend their enterprise solution.
Managed Enterprise Solution is an end to end solution of Browntape to manage your online accounts. They claim to take care of your listings, cataloging, order processing and customer communications etc. To quote them, “You will have to just pack and ship and we will take care of the rest”. But there is the catch, we have interacted with several clients of Browntape and they have different story to tell. Most of them found their tool to be good enough but each and everyone had complains regarding their managed services.
Specifically one of their former clients had a very bad experience. They were a manufacturer of apparels based out of Delhi and started selling online a year back. They wanted to sell on Myntra’s platform, but as Myntra is a closed marketplace they were unable to on-board themselves with Myntra. Browntape’s Business Development executives promised them, “You will soon be in Myntra, we got many sellers on-boarded with them, don’t worry”. They went on a long term contract based on their false promises. For nearly a year they kept on showing a false picture to them. But it never happened. They felt cheated and finally broke their contract.
One more seller shared their awful experience with Browntape’s Managed Enterprise Solution. When they began their online operations they got into a deal with them for 8% commission on sales and on-boarding fees of INR 50,000. At the beginning they did not realize that approximately 65% of the sales amount is the transfer amount to your bank from any marketplace. In simple terms, 8% was actually nearly 12% and above. By the time they realized it was already a year. Most of the profit which they had made was transferred to Browntape’s account.
Another seller shared their bad experience with Browntape. The issue they had with Browntape was that every month their account managers used to change so basically no one at Browntape actually understood their business and aspirations. No one was there to guide them properly to grow their business. This is exactly what Browntape had promised them at the first place.
Bottom line is that you can go ahead with any tool and keep in mind that it is just a tool to manage your online channels but not a magic tool which can increase your sales and grow your business. As far as the managed services, we will not recommend Browntape in any way and you should evaluate your options properly before jumping into any long term contract.
Co-Founder of Prime Seller Hub.
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