Budget Variance That Updates Itself
Set budgets in your ERP, then forget about them. Variance updates automatically as every expense posts to your GL—no spreadsheet exports, no manual reconciliation.
Request a DemoBuilt for Finance Teams Who Know Spreadsheets Have Limits
Excel is perfect for building your budget—flexible, familiar, and fast. But tracking variance against actuals? That's where spreadsheets break down.
Most DTC finance teams spend hours every week:
- Manually updating actuals from exports
- Chasing department heads for spending data
- Reconciling numbers across multiple files
- Waiting until month-end to see where they stand
With Fulfil, keep your spreadsheet for planning—then import it into your ERP where variance updates automatically. Finance teams get real-time visibility, department heads see their performance, and your carefully built Excel budget actually stays up to date.
See Over and Under Budget Instantly—Not at Month-End
Every expense posted to the general ledger automatically updates your budget variance. No manual calculations, no spreadsheet exports, no waiting until month-end.
Why real-time matters:
- Catch overspending in week 2, not after the month closes
- Alert department heads immediately when trending over budget
- Make spending decisions based on current data, not stale reports
- See the impact of every transaction as it posts
Most ERPs only show variance after month-end close. Fulfil updates the moment an expense posts—giving you continuous visibility, not periodic snapshots.
Marketing Budget - September 2024
Budget by Sales Channel Example
Same GL account (600), three different budgets by sales channel. Track separately, report individually, or roll up to total.
Budget by Sales Channel, Not Just Departments
DTC brands don't operate like traditional businesses. You can't just budget "Marketing" as one line—you need to budget marketing spend separately for Shopify, Amazon, Wholesale, and Retail.
Fulfil lets you budget the same GL account differently by:
- Sales Channel: Shopify, Amazon, Wholesale, Retail
- Warehouse/3PL: East Coast, West Coast, individual 3PL partners
- Product Line: Apparel, Accessories, Home Goods
- Customer Segment: B2C, B2B, Corporate
Example:
Budget $15K/month for Shopify ads, $8K/month for Amazon PPC, and $5K/month for wholesale trade shows—all under GL account 600 (Advertising) but tracked separately.
Legacy ERPs force you into rigid department hierarchies. Fulfil budgets match how DTC brands actually operate.
Import Your Excel Budget in Minutes—Don't Start Over
Spent weeks building your annual budget in Excel? Don't rebuild it from scratch. Import your spreadsheet directly:
- Export your budget as CSV
- Map columns (Account, Period, Cost Center, Amount)
- Validate—Fulfil flags errors before import
- Activate and start tracking variance immediately
What you can import:
- Annual budgets with monthly/quarterly breakdowns
- Multi-year scenarios (conservative, base, optimistic)
- Department or channel-specific budgets
- Mid-year revisions or reforecasts
Download our CSV template. Most finance teams complete their first import in under 30 minutes.
Budget Import
Download Sample| account | period | cost_center | amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 600 | Jul 2024 | Shopify | 15000 |
| 600 | Aug 2024 | Shopify | 15000 |
| 600 | Sep 2024 | Shopify | 15000 |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
How DTC Finance Teams Use Budgeting
Marketing Budget by Channel
Set separate monthly budgets for Shopify ads ($15K), Amazon PPC ($8K), and wholesale trade shows ($5K). Track variance by channel to optimize spend across your best-performing acquisition sources.
3PL Cost Control by Location
Budget warehouse costs separately for each 3PL partner. When East Coast fulfillment trends 20% over budget due to peak season, shift volume to West Coast—all visible in real-time.
Department Spending Limits
Give each department head visibility into their own budget and variance. Operations sees warehouse spend, Marketing sees ad spend, Finance sees the full P&L—all from the same system.
Annual Planning with Scenarios
Create three budget scenarios (conservative, base, optimistic) at the start of the year. Track actual performance against all three to understand where you're landing vs. different forecasts.
Why Budgeting in Fulfil vs. Spreadsheets or Standalone Tools
| Feature | Spreadsheets | Standalone Tools | Fulfil Budgeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Variance Updates | Manual updates, prone to errors | Requires integration with your ERP | ✓ Built into your ERP—updates automatically |
| Data Freshness | No variance until you update it | Daily/weekly sync delays | ✓ Real-time variance as expenses post |
| Version Control | Version control nightmare | Complex setup and onboarding | ✓ Import CSV, activate, done |
| DTC Dimensions | Can't budget by DTC-specific dimensions | Generic categories, not DTC-focused | ✓ Budget by channel, 3PL, product line |
| Collaboration | One person can edit at a time | Multi-user but siloed from operations | ✓ Multi-user with role-based access |
| Cost | Free (but high manual effort) | $10-50K+/year for small teams | ✓ Included with your ERP |
For DTC brands: Budget the way you operate—by Shopify vs. Amazon, by 3PL location, by product line. Not generic department codes from 1990s accounting.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a budget for multiple periods at once?
Use the CSV import feature to create budget lines for multiple periods in one upload. Your spreadsheet can include the same account budgeted across different periods, and you can include cost center classes to segment by department or channel.
Can I budget the same account differently by sales channel?
Yes. Add class lines to your budget entries to create separate budgets for the same GL account by sales channel, department, warehouse, or any other dimension you track with classes. For example, budget account 600 - Advertising separately for Shopify, Amazon, and Wholesale channels.
How is variance calculated?
Variance is calculated as Budget minus Actual. A negative variance means you've spent more than budgeted (over budget). A positive variance means you've spent less than budgeted (under budget). Variance percentage is calculated as (Variance ÷ Budget) × 100.
Can I have multiple active budgets at the same time?
Yes. You can create multiple budgets for scenario planning or to compare different budget versions. Each budget can be in Draft or Active state independently, allowing you to work on next quarter's budget while tracking variance against the current quarter.
What's the difference between Draft and Active budget states?
Draft budgets allow you to make changes and adjustments before finalizing. Once you activate a budget, it begins tracking variance against actual transactions posted to the general ledger. You can still view and report on Draft budgets, but variance tracking only works for Active budgets.
See budget tracking in action
Schedule a demo to see how Fulfil helps you plan spending and track variance in real-time.
Request a Demo