ELASTIC
ORDERING_PLATFORM
I helped build the core software platform behind a wholesale commerce business later acquired by Emerald Holding Inc. for roughly $34M. The hard part was not just transactions at scale. It was connecting complex buying workflows to legacy enterprise systems in a way that actually held up in production. Brands on the platform included Patagonia, The North Face, Crocs, Oakley, Burton, and Puma.
THE REAL
CONSTRAINT
The hard part was integration. On one side, we had to ingest client data from a wide range of legacy ERP systems. On the other side, we had to push order output back through enterprise formats and workflows that were often just as messy.
- Legacy ERP environments and source-system variability
- Order output requirements such as EDI 850
- High-stakes operational reliability for real brands and retailers
SYSTEM LAYERS
Order Authoring
The platform had to support real wholesale ordering flows, not simplified ecommerce checkout patterns. That meant retailer-specific workflows, multi-PO ordering, and operational logic that matched how buying teams actually worked.
ERP + EDI Integration
The hardest constraint was integration with heterogeneous legacy systems. I had to deal with ETL on the way in and order output on the way back out, including formats like EDI 850 and difficult environments like SAP.
Shared Toolbox
One of the key design decisions was building a shared toolbox with a modular client-specific extension model on top. That let us support deep customization without collapsing maintainability.
Real-Time Inventory
Inventory was not a static catalog field. The platform had to sync ERP state, handle regional warehouses, support multiple shipments, and account for date-based availability behavior in a way users could actually trust.
WHAT IT
ENABLED
This work mattered because it held up under real commercial pressure. The platform became part of the software foundation behind a business acquired by Emerald Holding Inc. for roughly $34M in 2021, and public materials tie it to very large downstream outcomes.
Scale
Public materials now associate the platform with annual GMV in the tens of billions of dollars.
Revenue Impact
Elastic case-study material reports up to a 21% increase in wholesale revenue tied to the product.
Launch Velocity
Hestra reportedly processed more than 800 orders totaling over $11M within the first two weeks after launch.
Operational ROI
Other downstream results included $1.8M weeks scaling to $4M weeks, one month faster time to market for The North Face, and roughly 25% lower AR staffing requirements for Simms.