Cin7 vs. Skubana

Ease of use is the one area where Cin7 doesn’t perform as well as its competitors. While the dashboard itself is relatively straightforward, the sheer number of features and tools, along with a myriad of configuration options, makes getting to grips with Cin7 a bit of a chore. Onboarding an entire team is even more of a hassle.

In its defence, Cin7 makes up for this shortcoming by offering superlative customer support and a dedicated onboarding manager for larger companies. There is an ample collection of video and written tutorials.

"It can be overwhelming. When you first land in Cin 7 there are so many buttons and options that it can overwhelm you, especially if you are new to inventory management."

“There is an expectation to learn and adapt, much the same as with any stock and business the executives stage this thoroughly. Cin7 has incredible help and documentation to assist to relieve this.”

“The implementation does take a while and there is a lot to think about how you set it up for longer term growth.”

Skubana is a browser app with a fairly typical user interface design. A central login page links to management dashboards for orders, shipments, inventory, analytics, and so on.

We thought that Skubana’s interface was reasonably intuitive and easy-to-use. It’s not the most straightforward on the market, and there is a slight learning curve, especially when it comes to the analytics dashboard. That said, it’s by no means the worst.

"It's a fantastic platform that has helped us leverage multiple additional technologies."

"It takes a little bit of time to fully learn everything about Skubana, I'm sure we still have a lot to learn."

"It takes a little bit of time to fully learn everything about Skubana, I'm sure we still have a lot to learn."

Cin7 is a cloud-based browser app, so you don’t have to handle any backend tasks yourself. Users have expressed a small number of concerns relating to technical errors. But on the whole, Cin7 is quick to remedy any bugs, and the quality of support is very high.

Unfortunately, Cin 7 doesn’t offer a mobile app, so you’ll only be able to complete tasks from a desktop computer. You can use third-party tools that integrate with Cin7 that do have mobile apps, however. So, depending on your needs, some smartphone access may be possible.

On the training front, Cin7 provides a dedicated onboarding manager to help get businesses on enterprise plans up and running as quickly as possible. While there aren’t any long-term account managers, the quality and speed of support going forward are good, and there is an extensive library of training resources.

So what about analytics? Cin7 has extensive reporting facilities to streamline tasks like forecasting, restocking, inventory management, warehouse space allocation, and so on. Automation features enable retailers to take advantage of “smart insights” without having to crunch huge quantities of data.

Finally, Cin7 has implemented a number of security measures to safeguard sensitive data and ensure GDPR compliance. All team-members have unique logins (shared logins are not supported) and data is encrypted using “Transparent Data Encryption” or “TDE”. End-to-end encryption is available.

On the surface, Skubana’s feature-kit appears less comprehensive than many of its competitors. There’s no mobile app, native barcode scanning, POS, or accounting integrations.

But it’s important to remember that the platform has been designed with multichannel retailers in mind. For this specific group, few other platforms come close to providing the same level of functionality.

Among the most notable features are the individual channel reporting tools, the API for building custom integrations, automation bots which can be used to manage inventory on third-party marketplaces, and advanced options for organizing parent-child and bundled products.

Skubana also excels on the training front. Users have access to onboarding consultants (full onboarding takes between four and six weeks), long-term client success managers, and a complete and highly-praised support package.

The analytics tools also rank among the best in the industry. Retailers can access a myriad of metrics, including turnover for specific channels, fulfillment rates, carrying costs, inventory age, and more. There are dedicated features for calculating customer value, keeping on top of accounting tasks, and maintaining a big-picture view across multiple stores.

Finally, all Skubana servers are run using AWS (Amazon Web Servers) and are fully secure. Reviews indicate that software is well-maintained from a technical standpoint and suitable for scaling companies.

Cin7 excels on the integrations front. Large companies that want to build a fully synced and integrated tech stack will struggle to find a solution that offers more options.

Cin7 integrates with over 450 third-party apps, spanning areas like accounting, sales and marketing, shipping, logistics, analytics and more.

It’s compatible with all the main ecommerce platforms, including Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, and BigCommerce. Equally, a broad array of marketplaces are covered, including but not limited to Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, and Wayfair. EDI (electronic data interchange) links with companies like ACE Hardware, Accent, and Amazon Dropship are also offered.

A wide host of marketing tools (Salesforce, Mailchimp, Capsule, etc.) are supported, along with a complete selection of payment processors for managing transactions according to your preferences.

Finally, Cin7 provides a software developer kit (REST API) and is compatible with intermediary tools like APICAL, which is great for situations when a direct integration is not offered.

So far, so good, right? But there is one note of caution that needs to be sounded. While it’s evident that Cin7 has put a lot of effort into building out its library of integrations, it shouldn’t be taken as a given that they will all be included in whatever plan you opt for (“Starter”, “Momentum”, or “Advanced”). Cin7 doesn’t operate a straightforward tiered subscription model, opting for custom pricing instead. Users have mentioned in reviews that Cin7 sometimes charges extra for certain integrations.

Skubana relies quite heavily on third-party integrations to supplement its core feature-set. Barcode scanning and POS, for example, are only available through connectors. The downside to this approach is that it incurs extra costs because users have to pay for separate services.

While the Skubana integrations library is fairly solid, it’s not the best we’ve seen. Accounting apps for Xero and Quickbooks were notably absent, although Zapier makes up for this to an extent.

Where Skubana really shines, on the other hand, is in relation to omnichannel selling. A variety of EDI tools (SPS, eZCom, B2BGateway, etc.) enable retailers to sync up with practically any third-party marketplace, and native integrations are offered for Amazon, eBay, Groupon, Houzz, Jet, Newegg, Sears, Target, and Walmart. On the shopping cart front, 3dcart, BigCommerce, Magento, Shopify, and Shopify Plus are supported.

Skubana also offers an excellent array of its own integrations with shipping providers, including DHL, Endicia, FedEx, and UPS.

On the whole, while the integrations library might not be the most comprehensive we’ve reviewed, we were left with the impression that it’s been uniquely designed for multichannel retailers. If you sell on various marketplaces, you simply won’t find a more extensive set of connectors.

Cin7 is a touch towards the pricey side but not overly so. Rather than charge a set amount for each of the three different packages - “Starter”, “Momentum”, and “Advanced” - Cin7 works on a custom subscription model. You will need to get in touch directly to discuss pricing.

Plans start at $299/month. This price-tag will likely be too high for smaller retailers, who will find alternatives like TradeGecko or Handshake more suitable. For enterprise solutions, however, Cin7 has positioned itself competitively. And, depending on your needs, it may be the most financially-viable option (due to the custom subscription structure). Keep in mind that plans from enterprise competitor Skubana start at $999/month.

Skubana is aimed at medium and large sellers dealing with high volumes. Pricing begins at $999/month. At this price-point, we feel that it isn’t suitable for smaller retailers unless they require an inventory management solution designed to sync with multiple marketplaces. For these independent retailers, a number of cheaper options are available.

It’s important to keep in mind that Skubana is the best multichannel platform on the market. The custom pricing model is also very competitive when compared to other providers, and there are no long-term contracts. If you’re considering opting for Skubana, get in touch for a free demo before making a decision.

Support from Cin 7, which is via phone and through tickets, is excellent. Numerous reviewers attest to the quality and speed. Cin7 has also committed to continuously improve its customer service, and intends to add 24/7 availability and live chat to its support package.

Users can also choose to access a dedicated onboarding manager who will be available during the often-tricky transition period. This one-on-one help is a big plus for companies that need to train staff quickly. Cin7 has also built an extensive training library.

The one downside is that even the highest-priced enterprise plans don’t come with a dedicated support specialist after the initial set-up period.

Customer support, which is via email (with a turnaround time of twenty-four hours), is generally very good. Users praise both the high level of technical assistance and the responsiveness of the customer service team when alerted to bugs and other backend issues. The FAQs and support documentation is also very extensive.

Skubana provides new users with a dedicated onboarding manager to help them get up and running as quickly as possible. In addition to this, retailers can access a “client success” representative who will help them to take full advantage of the platform.

The one downside is that Skubana doesn’t offer live chat or phone support, which could come in useful when time-sensitive problems arise.

Cin7 has many excellent features, including industry-leading customer support, extensive functionality (covering all areas of inventory management), and a large library of integrations for a seamlessly connected tech stack.

It’s definitely an enterprise-level solution and will appeal to retailers that are selling in excess of 5000 units per month (as a minimum). Smaller store-owners will likely benefit from a lower-priced platform. Plans start at $299/month, which is about mid-range for this type of software. The custom pricing model also means that you may be able to make savings which wouldn’t be possible if you opt for a one-size-fits-all package.

In short, it’s a feature-rich and reasonably priced platform that medium and large retailers should certainly consider.

Skubana isn’t for everybody. If you’re a small online retailer, or if you only sell through one store, then there are other options available with more functionality and better pricing. Skubana also relies quite heavily on integrations.

If, on the other hand, you’re a reasonably high-volume multichannel seller, then Skubana is easily the best solution on the market, and it’s the small details that make the difference. Along with obvious tools like marketplace integrations and multichannel analytics, Skubana also provides less obvious features. These include bundled product options, management of different SKUs for identical products (which can be an issue when using marketplaces), and automation bots for streamlining workflows.

Customer support is excellent, so if you’re thinking about purchasing a subscription, get in touch with the company and ask for a free demo.