THE CHALLENGE
Too many ecommerce apps, not nearly enough
data-rich insights
Dan DeLong has always been a troubleshooter at heart. During his 18 years with Intuit as a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, he spent time in the customer care department before transitioning to the brand’s Point of Sale product, where he grew acutely familiar with the retail industry. Accounting professionals sought his guidance on inventory, sales tax, payroll, and other challenges their retail clients were facing, and he enjoyed developing relationships with them.
But DeLong’s real interest? Putting together end-to-end technology solutions for online sellers, from website to development to marketing platforms, and everything in between. That was the idea behind Danwidth, the company he launched in 2018 to serve his network of accounting professionals.
“Most people get into business for a reason. They don’t want their business to own them, they want it the other way around. They want to fulfill, they want to take care of customers, they want to sell products,” DeLong says.
Danwidth’s mission is simple: to help business owners increase revenue, minimize costs, and expand their digital presences. He instinctively knew that a large part of that process involved streamlining their tech stack into a sustainable suite of services.
For example, “One of my clients had a Frankensteinian mix of apps that was doing some things here, some things there,” DeLong says. “And he was basically just dumping the data. QuickBooks was bringing in his deposits, so he was recognizing all of that as revenue. But he didn’t know anything about the types of items that he was selling and what they actually cost him.”
DeLong was convinced he needed to introduce his clients to a solution that could integrate QuickBooks with online retailers’ sales channels and other operational platforms. Key requirements?
- It needed to seamlessly capture QuickBooks data
- It had to showcase sellers’ true costs and profits
- It absolutely should automate organizations’ business processes
Game on.
One of my clients had a Frankensteinian mix of apps that was doing some things here, some things there. And he was basically just dumping the data. He didn’t know anything about the types of items that he was selling and what they actually cost him.
DAN DELONG
OWNER
DANWIDTH
THE SOLUTION
A ecommerce automation solution that helps sellers run their businesses, not the other way around
As fate would have it, the only ecommerce integration solution Dan DeLong even considered was Webgility—not because he was settling, but rather due to its singularity of offerings in the marketplace. He started investigating the software and quickly understood it offered a unique and robust set of features that would intuitively meet his clients’ needs.
“When I started to learn more about what Webgility could actually do, I really liked it because it wasn’t a one-trick pony,”DeLong says. “It wasn’t like, okay, it only works with QuickBooks Online. It works with QuickBooks Online, Desktop, and Point of Sale.”
DeLong knew Webgility was the missing piece of the puzzle so many retailers needed to connect their online sales channels and accounting platforms, enabling a true end-to-end solution. Danwidth’s goal was to make ecommerce implementation easy, and sellers that added Webgility to their tech stacks got back the time they needed to tackle their To Do lists. The magic solution? Automation.
“Once we turn the automation on with Webgility, it’s like a crockpot. You set it, you forget it, your ingredients are in there, and then you just go in and manage the meal, as opposed to having to manipulate the meal,” DeLong says. Like most of the online retailers he serves, DeLong doesn’t want to do bookkeeping. He wants it done automatically, and he’s thrilled whenever clients implement Webgility and need him less often.
Beyond the time-saving benefits, the other major bonus of Webgility is easy access to performance analytics that sellers can leverage to boost profitability. Webgility’s dashboard shows aggregated data from all connected sales channels, making it a single source of ecommerce truth. This further sold DeLong on the platform, especially when he saw the difference that access to data-driven insights made to key clients.
Webgility may have fallen into DeLong’s lap, but the software ended up being the perfect fit for Danwidth and its customers.
I really liked [Webgility] because it wasn’t a one-trick pony…Once we turn the automation on with Webgility, it’s like a crockpot. You set it, you forget it, your ingredients are in there, and then you just go in and manage the meal.
DAN DELONG
OWNER
DANWIDTH
THE RESULTS
Danwidth’s bandwidth expands—and so does business—with a little help from Webgility
A major pain point for online retailers is lack of visibility into their operational costs. Vendors, shipping carriers, and other partners detail expenses, but ecommerce platforms and marketplaces don’t always clearly break down their fees. For example, one of Dan DeLong’s clients reconsidered selling on Amazon after learning how much the marketplace was really charging him to sell there.
“He fulfills by Amazon, even the stuff that he sells through Shopify,” DeLong says. “He doesn’t want to deal with the fulfillment process. He’s running as a negative when you look at it from the Amazon perspective because of all the fees that they’re sending him.”
Before implementing Webgility, the seller had no idea how much he was spending on Amazon services. Once DeLong helped him integrate the solution into his ecommerce tech stack, the retailer finally saw crucial performance indicators that had been previously hidden in vague revenue reports.
“When the sales came in, we could actually see what his gross profit was,” DeLong says. “With Webgility, we could track specific fees because he had Shopify, Amazon, and eBay [and] they all behave differently as far as how they pay you. Being able to manage all of that, in one application, was really helpful for him.”
DeLong’s extensive knowledge of QuickBooks makes him a favorite among ProAdvisors, and the added insights he provides using Webgility has earned him 5-star ratings from every single reviewer. As a certified Webgility partner, DeLong not only helps businesses work through their complicated QuickBooks conundrums, but also automates their accounting workflows. The impact: His customers collectively saved nearly 1,000 hours of busywork in the first few months of 2021.
The lesson here? With technology and a bit of professional guidance, ecommerce is a whole lot easier.
DeLong’s extensive knowledge of QuickBooks made him a favorite among ProAdvisors, and the added insights he provides using Webgility has earned him 5-star ratings from every single reviewer.
