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Hula Global vs FourSource
Here’s our in-depth comparison of the two platforms to show you the differences and help you decide.
Ready to experience the power of Hula Global’s Supply Chain? Get in touch with Sales for consultation.
Here’s our in-depth comparison of the two platforms to show you the differences and help you decide.
Ready to experience the power of Hula Global’s Supply Chain? Get in touch with Sales for consultation.
Overview
When you’re looking for a strong and dependable supply chain partner for your fashion brand, Hula Global and FourSource are two of the best options in the market.
But how do they differ from one another? And how do they compare in critical areas such as quality and timelines?
To make your decision easier, here’s our in-depth comparison of FourSource vs. Hula Global to help you weigh up your options and decide which supply chain platform is the best fit for you.
About Hula Global
Hula Global is an apparel supply chain company that operates a network of apparel manufacturing factories in India, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Hula Global’s core focus is new product development and production for fashion & lifestyle products.
About FourSource:
FourSource is platform for making fashion sourcing easy for Fashion Brands. Using it’s platform, brands can search, connect and manage their production.
An Overview of Hula Global’s supply chain services
Hula Global manages end-to-end sourcing, logistics and delivery of your fashion merchandise. From finding verified vendors who can actually deliver quality products on time to ensure the production dispatch hit the timelines – Hula Global’s sourcing team does all the activities end-to-end.
Hula Global’s sourcing team works as an extension of your team to execute your production orders from sourcing countries where you cannot have foot on the ground.
Hula Global’s logistics team ensure that you have a hassle delivery of your merchandise at your doorstep without running pillar to post to custom clear the goods and ensure dispatch dates of vessels are met.
FourSource is an open-ended platform based on a marketplace model where you can pick
and choose a supplier of your choice and work directly with the supplier.
Once you choose the supplier, you are on your own.
Hula Global on the other hand is a closed-ended platform where you don’t get the details of
the factory until the PO is finally generated and in almost all cases, Hula Global is the
supplier for your brand.
Hula Global is your SPOC – Single Point Of Contact – you don’t have to chase suppliers and
run pillar to post to get you shipments on time.
On FourSource, you have to do vendor management on your own. Find relevant suppliers,
talk to them, evaluate each supplier based on their capabilities, complete the product
development and execute the order by working closely with your chosen supplier.
Hula Global on the other hand does the entire vendor management for YOU.
FourSource is based in Berlin (Germany) whereas Hula Global is based in Delhi (India). Most
suppliers on the FourSource platforms tend to be from Turkey or Eastern Europe leading to
hire product prices
Hula Global’s location gives it an unfair advantage because not only it has direct on-ground
access to Indian suppliers but also suppliers from Vietnam, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Hula Global has very strong quality parameters and a very large on-ground quality team to
ensure those quality standards are maintained by the partner factories at every stage of the
production.
FourSource on the other hand maintains no quality team on-ground which means that you
would have to depend on factories word of mouth on agreed quality or arrange third party
inspection on your own.
Hula Global’s partner factories adhere to Hula Global Standard Code of Conduct. It doesn’t
matter whether your brand is a startup brand or a large big box retailer – the code of
conduct remains the same in terms of accountability.
FourSource on the other hand is based on marketplace model. Each factory has its own
operating procedure and due to open-ended nature of FourSource platform, it is impossible
to make vendors accountable to a certain code of conduct.
Since FourSource is an open-ended, any supplier can pay the fees and get listed. Only Basic
documentation due diligence is done before getting listed on FourSource.
Hula Global on the other hand maintains a very strong, tight knit community of vendors. The
average waiting period of a supplier is 78 days from the date of application and a supplier
has to clear of 128 points of validation including site visit by Hula Global’s team, before
being formally inducted into Hula Global’s supplier ecosystem.
FourSource is based on annual subscription model for the suppliers whereas as a brand you don’t pay anything.
In a digital world, there is saying – if you are getting anything for free- then you are the product. Hula Global is a classic supplier model where you pay for the goods.
- Hula Global offers pricing in 3 tiers:
- New Product development costs: $150/ Style with a minimum of 10 Styles
- Merchandise Cost: Unit price basis based on which PO’s are issued – usually priced as FOB: As a brand, you are provided with a detailed breakdown of all the costs involved.
- Door-to-door Pricing: This is also known as DDP (Duty and Delivery Paid) and it includes product price + shipping + Duties: This pricing done for orders with at least 30 CBM (corresponding to one 20 FT container)
Logistics support is included in the production order. Hula Global has an in-house logistics
team and can price your door-to-door cost instead of FOB pricing. This would include
product cost + shipping + duties (DDP): There are separate MOQ eligibility for these orders.
FourSource on the other hand, if you choose, then you would have to depend on the
logistically ability of your chosen factory or you might have to arrange on your own.
Hula Global provide PO financing to certain eligible brands from US, Canada and Western
Europe. No such information is available about FourSource regarding PO financing
FourSource may not have any MOQs but the vendors on its platform might have.
Hula Global on the other hand works with a certain specific MOQ for production as well for
DDP pricing.
FourSource is just a platform and will not be liable or accountable for the quality of the
products you received. At best, if there is any dispute, FourSource can ban the supplier in
extreme cases.
Hula Global on the other hand is your supplier. All product quality warranties and liabilities
are assumed by Hula Global.
By working with Hula Global, you can be assured that there won’t be any last minute
surprises.
Conclusion –
When you should Choose FourSource:
The positive aspect of using FourSource in such a case is when you want to coordinate directly with the factory and supplier. Ideally you are in a DIY mode and you can afford time to learn, make mistakes, course correct -basically learn by trial and error.
When you should choose Hula Global:
The negative aspect of FourSource is that the suppliers might not always respond in time or work according to your expectations and since FourSource is just a “platform”, you are left at the mercy of such suppliers. If you are in time bound situation and product quality is what matters the most, then you should definitely choose Hula Global over FourSource.
Think of this comparison in similar manner as Android vs. iOS: iOS is a tightly enclosed platform and it is very difficult or developers to get in, publish and monetize apps. Moreover, Apple is the Device provider on which these apps should run and these apps should accept Apple’s standard terms & conditions.
Whereas Android is an open-ended platform – any smart phone manufacturer can get a license for a version of Android and launch their mobile phones. What you end up having is an entire spectrum – from high end mobile phones on Android to poor-quality entry-level mobiles as well.
Open-end platforms may be developer friendly but might not be user friendly. Whereas in closed end platforms like Apple and Hula Global – it might be very difficult for developers and vendors to enter the ecosystem but for users and customers, this is an advantage because they know what kind of quality they can expect.