For Ecommerce & DTC Brands
The operating layer built for how ecommerce actually works.
Revenue is everywhere; real margin is hidden. Level connects every channel and your books into one operating layer. See contribution margin per SKU and channel after FBA fees, ad spend, returns, and landed cost, plus the cash trapped in inventory. We also support marketplace facilitator accounting and multi-state sales-tax coordination. Our service is designed for brands with $500K to $1B in annual revenue, across Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, Walmart and multiple channels.
6+
Platforms supported
All US
Jurisdictions for nexus review
$500K-$1B
Annual brand revenue we serve
From $500
/ month plans start
The problems we're built to solve
These aren't hypothetical. They're the conversations we have with new ecommerce clients every week.
Triple Whale & Shopify don't match NetSuite or the GL
Shopify shows gross order-date sales, Triple Whale reports blended ROAS and MER on ad-platform pixels, and NetSuite or QuickBooks records accrual revenue after fulfillment and returns. We reconcile attribution to bank cash and the general ledger every week.
Inventory tracking & landed-cost drift across 3PLs
Factory deposits, inbound freight, 20% tariff hits, and stock moving between 3PLs, retail stores, and wholesale leave phantom inventory on the balance sheet. We tie PO receiving logs and SKU-level landed cost directly to COGS.
Pricing & ad spend without true SKU contribution margin
Neither Shopify nor Triple Whale sees your full landed COGS, 3PL pick-and-pack fees, Loop return reserves, or wholesale chargebacks. We build the SKU and channel contribution margin view so you scale profitable products.
1099-K and payout clearing never match
Every month, Shopify Payments, Stripe, Affirm, and Amazon Seller Central settle net of fees, refunds, and reserve holdbacks. We reconcile payout clearing accounts line by line so revenue and fee drag are never misstated.
Sales tax nexus & marketplace facilitator double-count
General bookkeepers double-count marketplace sales-tax remittance or miss Wayfair economic nexus thresholds across 18 to 38 states. We scope nexus, coordinate Avalara/TaxJar/Anrok, and reconcile tax liabilities monthly.
Cash trapped in inventory and seasonal POs
Inventory tying up cash, supplier deposits due weeks before sell-through, and ad spend climbing faster than contribution dollars. We run 13-week cash and Open-to-Buy (OTB) inventory forecasts alongside Settle and working-capital lines.
Platforms we know cold
We've set up the chart of accounts, integrations, and tax handling for every major platform. New ones we learn fast.
Shopify & Shopify POS
DTC storefronts, B2B wholesale & retail stores
Oracle NetSuite & Apparel ERP
Inventory tracking, landed cost, POs & multi-entity GL
Triple Whale
MER, blended ROAS & pixel attribution reconciled to the GL
Finaloop & QuickBooks (+ A2X)
Ecommerce-native GL, SKU COGS & 15-row Shopify rec
Loop Returns & Settle
Exchange deferrals, return reserves & PO loan subledgers
Amazon FBA, TikTok Shop & Faire
Marketplace settlements, 3PL fees & wholesale deductions
Ecommerce, Retail & CPG Software & Ledger Stack
How Storefronts, Finaloop, Inventory Subledgers, and Accounting Ledgers Connect
Multi-channel brands selling across DTC, retail stores, wholesale, and marketplaces rarely fail in Shopify alone. Margin drift happens at the seam between payouts, 3PL and warehouse receiving logs, Settle or inventory loan subledgers, wholesale buyer deductions, and Finaloop, QuickBooks Online, or NetSuite.
Storefront, POS & Inventory Layer
Shopify + POS, ApparelMagic, Cin7, Katana, Amazon FBA & Settle
Captures orders, retail register Z-tapes, style-color-size SKU matrices, purchase orders, Settle bill financing, and 3PL/FBA warehouse movements before journal summaries hit the general ledger.
Accounting Ledger Fit
Finaloop (DTC-Native) vs. QuickBooks Online (+ A2X) vs. NetSuite
Finaloop automates order-level Shopify/Amazon sync and SKU COGS for $1M to $25M DTC brands. QuickBooks Online (with clearing and inventory cutoffs) scales to $50M+ across omni-channel/wholesale, while global multi-entity rollups move to NetSuite.
Where the Seam Breaks
Quarantined bank queues, Settle PO loans & supplier advances
Leaving Settle loan draws or vendor wires in Finaloop's 'Waiting for your input' queue, booking factory deposits directly to COGS, or posting net wholesale ACH wires without deduction schedules distorts both the P&L and Balance Sheet.
| Software / Ledger | Operational Role & Best Fit | Typical Cost & Paired Ledgers | Where the Subledger-to-GL Seam Breaks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finaloop (Ecommerce General Ledger) | DTC-native general ledger, real-time Shopify/Amazon order sync, SKU COGS & Cohort LTV Pure-play DTC & marketplace brands ($1M to $25M on Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop) replacing QuickBooks + A2X | Pricing: Revenue-tiered monthly subscription (~$200 to $1,500+/mo by annual GMV and inventory/COGS modules) Ledgers: Standalone General Ledger of record (replaces QuickBooks Online / Xero) | In our Finaloop production close audits, three traps recur: (1) uncategorized bank inflows and outflows sit in the 'Waiting for your input' (SINGLE_TRANSACTION and GROUPED_BY_VENDOR) queues, quarantining six-figure Settle loan draws, owner capital injections, or vendor wires off the Balance Sheet; (2) founders compare Shopify Admin gross order-date sales against Finaloop's accrual P&L without checking the 4 adjustment rows in Finaloop's Shopify Reconciliation Report (Void/Canceled orders, Unfulfilled orders, Excluded sales channels, Shipping discount adjustments); and (3) Finaloop has no open public REST API for full GL extraction, so monthly closes require Report Center (.xlsx) exports and loan/bill subledger tie-outs. |
| Shopify + Shopify POS + Triple Whale (+ A2X / Link My Books) | DTC storefront, retail POS, MER/attribution analytics & payout clearing summaries DTC and omni-channel apparel, luxury fashion, CPG, and specialty retail brands ($1M to $75M+) | Pricing: $39 to $399/mo core plans; Shopify Plus from ~$2,300 to $2,500/mo + Triple Whale / A2X Ledgers: Finaloop, QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct | Shopify Admin and Triple Whale report order-date gross sales and pixel-attributed ROAS/MER, whereas Shopify Payments, Stripe, Shop Pay Installments, and Amex settle on different schedules net of fees, refunds, and gift-card redemptions. Posting bank deposits directly to sales or trusting unadjusted Triple Whale contribution figures without reconciling a processor clearing ledger and NetSuite/QBO inventory COGS hides fee creep and return drag. |
| Settle / Bill.com (BILL) / Wayflyer AP & PO Financing | Inventory PO financing, factory bill pay, AP approval workflows & working-capital credit lines DTC apparel, food/CPG, and consumer brands financing seasonal inventory POs and factory AP ahead of sell-through | Pricing: Bill.com $45 to $79/user/mo; Settle/Wayflyer origination fee per financed bill or credit-line APR Ledgers: Finaloop (/loans & /bills subledgers), QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct | When Settle or Bill.com pays a factory or 3PL invoice on the brand's behalf and drafts the operating bank account via ACH or clearing transfer, operators often leave the original AP bill open or leave the bank draft sitting in uncategorized queues, double-counting liabilities or misstating inventory cost. |
| ApparelMagic / Fashion & Matrix ERP | Style-color-size PLM, wholesale order management & inventory Apparel, footwear, and luxury fashion brands running seasonal drops, wholesale, and DTC ($5M to $60M+) | Pricing: Per-user subscription (~$135 to $250+/user/mo depending on tier and EDI/warehouse modules) Ledgers: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite | Wholesale buyers routinely remit net of 3.5% promotional allowances, 1.0% early-pay discounts, or chargebacks, and wire unreferenced top-ups. If ApparelMagic invoices and QBO cash application are not tied out line by line, open AR and net sales drift apart. |
| Cin7 Core (DEAR) / Katana MRP | Multi-location inventory, BOM assembly, roasting/manufacturing & 3PL sync Specialty food, coffee roasters, feed/CPG, and light manufacturers ($2M to $40M+) | Pricing: ~$349 to $999+/mo by order volume, warehouse locations, and manufacturing modules Ledgers: QuickBooks Online, Xero | Raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods moving across production, 3PL warehouses, retail cafes, and Amazon FBA require explicit cutoff alignment. Unsynced assembly builds or FBA transfer legs leave phantom inventory on the balance sheet. |
| Amazon Seller Central (FBA) + 3PL Portals | Marketplace fulfillment, FBA storage/removal fees & multi-node logistics Omni-channel CPG, feed products, and consumer brands selling on Amazon alongside DTC | Pricing: Referral fees (typically 8% to 15%) + FBA pick/pack, storage, and placement fees Ledgers: Finaloop, QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite (via settlement journal summary) | Biweekly Amazon settlement payouts bundle product sales, FBA fulfillment fees, storage charges, advertising spend, refunds, and reserve holdbacks into one net wire. Booking the net wire to revenue buries marketplace fees and distorts channel contribution margin. |
| QuickBooks Online vs. Finaloop vs. Oracle NetSuite | Core financial ledger, balance sheet & multi-channel P&L Finaloop for $1M to $25M DTC/marketplace; QBO for $1M to $50M omni-channel/wholesale; NetSuite for multi-entity global ERP | Pricing: QBO $99 to $235/mo; Finaloop ~$200 to $1,500+/mo; NetSuite $35,000 to $90,000+/yr + implementation Ledgers: Primary General Ledger of record | Finaloop excels at automated DTC order/COGS sync but lacks multi-entity consolidation, complex WIP manufacturing, and an open GL API. QBO handles $40M to $50M omni-channel brands when paired with periodic inventory/COGS timing adjustments backed by supplier-advance schedules, receiving logs, and physical count true-ups. |
Operator Reconciliation Playbooks & Accounting Controls
Compare all industry accounting & ERP stacks →Finaloop & Settle Working-Capital Close ControlsReconciling Finaloop's 15-row Shopify Reconciliation Report, 'Waiting for your input' queues & Settle PO loans
In Finaloop closes for DTC and CPG brands, order-level sales sync automatically, but month-end Balance Sheet and P&L accuracy depends on clearing quarantined bank rows, tying out Settle/owner loan ledgers, and locking return-date attribution.
Reconciling Finaloop's 15-row Shopify Reconciliation Report, 'Waiting for your input' queues & Settle PO loans
In Finaloop closes for DTC and CPG brands, order-level sales sync automatically, but month-end Balance Sheet and P&L accuracy depends on clearing quarantined bank rows, tying out Settle/owner loan ledgers, and locking return-date attribution.
- Audit the 15-row Shopify Reconciliation Report (/report-center): Bridge 'Finaloop books' against 'Shopify Admin' across all 9 columns (Gross sales, Discounts, Refunds & returns, Net sales, Shipping income, Return fees, Taxes, Additional duties and fees, Total sales) by verifying 'Excluded sales channels' and the 4 adjustment rows: Void/Canceled orders, Discounts/Refunds/Shipping timing, Unfulfilled orders (held off GAAP revenue until fulfillment), and Shipping discount adjustments.
- Clear both 'Waiting for your input' queues (moneyDirection=OUT and moneyDirection=IN across SINGLE_TRANSACTION and GROUPED_BY_VENDOR views) before exporting month-end reports: Unclassified Settle working-capital inflows, inter-account bank transfers, and vendor wires remain quarantined out of debt or expense accounts until resolved.
- Tie Settle and owner loan cards (/loans) to underlying bills (/bills) and ledger accounts (/ledger-accounts): When Settle finances an inventory bill and later drafts the operating bank account, verify that the bill is linked to the Settle loan liability and that repayments split principal reduction from financing fees.
- Lock SKU Analysis and return-date cutoffs: Finaloop dashboards allow switching return attribution (returnsDateField=postedAt vs. order date) and toggling 'Show returns' and US$ vs. Units in SKU Analysis (/dashboards/sku-analysis). Standardize one cutoff rule and archive monthly .xlsx exports from /report-center/history so historical board numbers never shift.
Apparel & Omni-Channel Retail Inventory CutoffSeparating supplier advances from received inventory at month-end cutoff
For multi-channel apparel and consumer brands scaling from $5M to $50M+ across Shopify, retail stores, and wholesale, the largest margin swing often comes from inventory timing rather than ad spend.
Separating supplier advances from received inventory at month-end cutoff
For multi-channel apparel and consumer brands scaling from $5M to $50M+ across Shopify, retail stores, and wholesale, the largest margin swing often comes from inventory timing rather than ad spend.
- Factory deposits and supplier advances wired weeks before shipment cannot hit COGS or received inventory until title transfers or goods arrive at the warehouse.
- Periodic inventory and COGS timing adjustments in QuickBooks Online separate prepaid supplier advances from received stock and apply disclosed factory, freight, and duty estimates that are trued up when final customs invoices and physical counts land.
- Under ASC 330 FIFO (tested in LevelBench-100 WF08), inbound ocean freight and customs duties ($4,800 on 1,200 units = $4/unit) capitalize into inventory cost, whereas outbound customer parcel shipping ($1,800) stays a period selling expense.
Specialty Food, Beverage & CPG Multi-ChannelReconstructing raw-material, WIP, and FBA movements plus rebate GL mapping
When a brand sells across brick-and-mortar cafes or stores, Shopify DTC, wholesale accounts, and Amazon FBA/3PL warehouses, a single pooled COGS line hides which channel actually makes money.
Reconstructing raw-material, WIP, and FBA movements plus rebate GL mapping
When a brand sells across brick-and-mortar cafes or stores, Shopify DTC, wholesale accounts, and Amazon FBA/3PL warehouses, a single pooled COGS line hides which channel actually makes money.
- Reconciling SKU movements across raw materials, production work-in-progress, 3PL warehouses, and Amazon FBA isolates shrinkage and channel-level gross margin.
- Across multi-channel food, beverage, and CPG brands operating retail locations, DTC, wholesale, and delivery marketplaces, probing the QuickBooks GL mapping catches promotional and slotting rebates booked inconsistently between contra-revenue and contra-COGS.
- Separate actual billed freight and tariff support from estimated landed-cost accruals so management knows which inventory figures are final and which await invoice true-up.
Luxury Fashion, Seasonal Drops & Wholesale ARMatching wholesale buyer remittance deductions and unreferenced wires
Department stores and specialty wholesale buyers rarely pay the exact face value of an invoice; they deduct promotional allowances, early-pay discounts, and routing chargebacks on the remittance advice.
Matching wholesale buyer remittance deductions and unreferenced wires
Department stores and specialty wholesale buyers rarely pay the exact face value of an invoice; they deduct promotional allowances, early-pay discounts, and routing chargebacks on the remittance advice.
- In LevelBench-100 WF03, a $42,842.50 wholesale ACH remittance settles $43,500.00 of open invoices after a 3.5% promotional allowance ($1,522.50) and 1.0% early-pay discount ($435.00), while an unreferenced $1,300.00 wire top-up is held in Unapplied Customer Cash.
- Unassisted AI tools routinely apply unreferenced wire overpayments against the oldest open invoice, corrupting the wholesale AR subledger.
- Weekly cash controls and a clean wholesale AR aging schedule are prerequisites before commercial banks will underwrite an inventory working-capital line.
Closed-Month Ecommerce, Finaloop & Inventory Diagnostic
Want us to tie out your Finaloop or QuickBooks ledger, Shopify payouts, Settle loans, and 3PL inventory?
We test one closed month across your Finaloop Shopify Reconciliation Report or QBO processor clearing accounts, 'Waiting for your input' queues, Settle/inventory loan subledgers, supplier-advance cutoffs, and ASC 330 FIFO landed-cost schedules. Named platforms reflect evaluated workflows, not vendor partnerships.
Featured Advisor · Ecommerce, Finance & Luxury Retail
Sarena Ahmad
Advisor, Ecommerce Strategy
VP at Aflalo · Ecommerce & Luxury Retail Executive · Omni-Channel Strategy, Planning & Unit Economics · Harvard Business School MBA
Ecommerce, finance, and luxury retail executive with experience building and scaling direct-to-consumer and omnichannel brands. Sarena serves as Vice President of Ecommerce, Finance, and Operations at AFLALO, the luxury fashion brand founded by Reformation’s founder, where she oversees commercial strategy, financial performance, and end-to-end operations across ecommerce, retail, and wholesale. Her expertise spans the financial and operational drivers of profitable growth, including Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning, inventory and capital discipline, omnichannel expansion, supply chain execution, and executive financial reporting. Harvard Business School MBA.
Open-to-Buy (OTB) & Inventory Capital
Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning, inventory and capital discipline, seasonal assortment forecasting, and cash conversion across production and 3PL networks.
Omnichannel Strategy & Unit Economics
Commercial strategy and financial performance across direct-to-consumer ecommerce, retail, and wholesale channels with disciplined pricing and channel mix.
Supply Chain & Executive Reporting
End-to-end supply chain execution, landed-cost and SKU contribution margin governance, and decision-ready executive financial reporting.
From an Amazon seller on r/ecommerce
“Combining data from multiple platforms is turning into a full-time job. Tried Wave and QuickBooks but they feel too heavy or confusing.”
The tools work, but only when configured correctly. That's what we do.
Engagements scale with you
Foundation first. Forecasting second. Real finance function third. Pick where you are; we scope from there.
$500K - $2M
Get the foundation right
- • Chart of accounts rebuilt for ecommerce
- • Finaloop or QBO + A2X / Link My Books configured correctly
- • Sales tax nexus study + initial registrations
- • Monthly close discipline & payout reconciliation
- • Quarterly SKU & channel margin review
$500+ bookkeeping; Scale $1,500-$5,000 / mo
$2M - $10M
Add forecasting and unit economics
- • Everything in the foundation tier
- • 13-week rolling cash & Settle/PO financing forecast
- • True unit economics by SKU and channel
- • Inventory turn and landed cost analysis
- • Monthly CFO review meetings
- • Tax planning coordination with CPA
Scale $1,500-$5,000 / mo, by scope
$10M+
Build a real finance function
- • Everything in the growth tier
- • NetSuite / ERP inventory & landed-cost governance
- • Hire and manage internal bookkeeper or controller
- • Investor reporting / lender financial packs
- • M&A readiness (clean accrual, dilution model, exit comps)
- • Senior CFO oversight + dedicated team
Platform / Multi-Office: custom
Frequently asked questions
Do you work with brands that sell on more than one platform?
Yes, most of our ecommerce clients sell across at least two channels (Shopify + Amazon, Shopify + Retail POS, Luxury DTC + Faire/department-store wholesale, Amazon + Walmart). The chart of accounts and reconciliation flow we build keeps channel margins and inventory movements separate so you can see what is actually making money.
Are you ecommerce specialists or generalists?
Ecommerce and retail is a core focus, backed by executive advisory leadership from Sarena Ahmad (Vice President at Aflalo, the luxury fashion brand founded by the former founder of Reformation) alongside our accounting and CFO team. We combine high-level commercial, merchandising, and inventory capital strategy with rigorous execution across your commerce, ERP, and accounting systems.
How do you reconcile Triple Whale and Shopify metrics with NetSuite or QuickBooks?
Triple Whale and Shopify Admin report order-date gross revenue and platform-attributed ROAS/MER, which never match GAAP accrual revenue or bank cash out of the box. Guided by our ecommerce operations playbook, we bridge gross Shopify orders through discounts, unfulfilled order deferrals, Loop return reserves, 3PL fulfillment fees, SKU landed cost in NetSuite or Finaloop, and Triple Whale blended ad spend so management has one reconciled contribution-margin number per SKU and channel.
We're already on NetSuite, Finaloop, or QuickBooks. Will you make us switch?
No. We work natively inside NetSuite, Finaloop, and QuickBooks Online (as well as Xero). On NetSuite, we tighten item-receipt to vendor-bill 3-way matching, landed-cost allocation across freight and duties, and multi-location inventory tracking. On Finaloop, we clear the 'Waiting for your input' bank queues, audit the 15-row Shopify Reconciliation Report (excluded sales channels, voided orders, unfulfilled order deferrals), and reconcile Settle loan subledgers. On QuickBooks Online, we configure A2X or Link My Books clearing accounts and FIFO landed-cost COGS schedules.
Can you handle our sales tax filings?
We don't file sales tax returns directly, that's automated through specialized tools (Avalara, TaxJar, Anrok). What we do: nexus study, register in the right states, configure the tool correctly, integrate with the GL, voluntary disclosure where needed, and reconcile sales tax liability monthly so the filings are accurate.
How fast can you start?
Foundation work (chart of accounts redesign, Finaloop, QBO, or NetSuite integration cleanup, initial close and inventory reconciliation) usually starts within 2 weeks of engagement. Full ongoing CFO cadence is in place by month 2.
We do over $20M, are we too big?
No. Our service is designed for brands with $500K to $1B in annual revenue. Larger brands usually have a full-time controller or VP of Operations, and our role shifts to senior CFO oversight, NetSuite/ERP reporting architecture, and inventory cash planning alongside that team.
Related ecommerce reading
Simple pricing
Three tiers, one ladder.
$500+/mo
Bookkeeping
The clean data layer: monthly books, reconciliations, and organized financials AI can work with.
$1,500-$5,000/mo
Scale
The full AI operating layer: custom agents, weekly actions, and benchmarks to grow margin per hour.
Custom
Platform / Multi-Office
Multi-branch benchmarking and scorecards for PE-backed and multi-location groups.
Sales but no profit? Let's find out where it's going.
Free Shopify or Amazon P&L review. Start with a short call; with agreed store and accounting access, we review up to 12 months and show where margin is leaking.
No commitment. Real numbers, not generic advice.