Parabola has given us the ability to consolidate and work with our data without needing an entire data team. That’s been a game changer for us.”
The problem
Use case 1
A fast-growing brand with no time to waste
Bandit Running is a fast-growing performance and lifestyle brand based in New York. Known for its limited-run product drops and clean, elevated design, the team has built a loyal following across ecommerce, retail, and pop-up events. But scaling that kind of complexity with a small operations team is no easy task.
“We’re a startup. We’re scrappy. And we’re growing fast,” says Emily Shaw, Head of Operations. “That means flying by the seat of your pants sometimes, but you still need clean, reliable metrics to actually understand what’s happening.”
As Bandit scaled, the operations team needed a way to rethink and evolve how they tracked performance, surfaced issues, and reported out across the business. Their metrics had to keep pace with constant changes: new systems, more data, and shifting workflows.
“The challenge was pulling together data from all the different tools we use—Shopify, ShipHero, Gorgias—and making sense of it all without spending hours every week doing it manually,” Emily says.
They needed a better way to centralize data, adapt to change, and build confidence in what they were measuring, all without hiring a full data team.
The solution
Use case 2
Workflows built without a data team
Instead of relying on manual workarounds or expanding headcount, the team turned to Parabola. What started as a conversation at an operators community dinner turned into a product that’s now central to how Bandit’s ops team works.
“Parabola lets us combine data across our tools and build the workflows we need to actually see what’s happening and act on it,” Emily explains.
The team built several flows that now power their day-to-day operations:
- Warehouse tracking: Data from their 3PL and Shopify is pulled hourly to monitor fulfillment performance and surface any orders that fall outside of SLAs
- Issue alerts: Each morning, Parabola flags orders with potential issues so the team can jump in and resolve them quickly
- Customer service reporting: Ticket data from Gorgias is categorized and tracked as a percentage of orders, helping the team identify trends, top contact reasons, and areas for improvement
- Weekly metrics review: Over 30 key metrics are now automatically compiled and validated each week, replacing hours of manual reporting
Could we have done some of this before? Definitely. But it would’ve taken more time, and we wouldn’t have had the same confidence in the data. Now we can report out quickly, track performance from each product drop, and actually use that data to make decisions.”
The flexibility of the product has made it easy for the team to evolve as the business grows. “As our business changes, we’ve been able to update what we’re tracking and how.”
The results
Use case 3
Real-time insights, fewer surprises
With Parabola, Bandit’s operations team has been able to keep up with the business’s rapid growth without adding more complexity.
- 10+ hours saved each week on reporting: Weekly metric reviews that used to take hours are now compiled and validated automatically
- Faster issue resolution through proactive alerts: Daily Slack alerts flag order issues so the team can resolve them before they impact customers
- More accurate fulfillment tracking: Real-time data from Shopify and their 3PL helps the team monitor SLA performance with confidence
- Deeper visibility into customer trends: Support tickets are tracked as a percentage of orders, helping the team identify common issues and reduce contact rates
- Greater agility without engineering resources: The ops team can connect data and build what they need without relying on technical headcount
“Having that kind of real-time visibility means we’re not just reacting anymore. We’re catching issues early and making smarter decisions,” Emily says.
She also credits Parabola’s team for helping them get there.
The support we’ve gotten has been unmatched. Between onboarding and all the new capabilities like custom transforms and AI-assisted building, it’s made it easy to keep improving and stay agile.”
“We’ve got a lot more we want to build. And we feel confident knowing we’ve got a partner that’s growing with us.”
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This customer story is for informational purposes only. Parabola makes no warranties, express or implied, in this document.
