Business1 min read

Australian founder sues Adobe, says $15,000 monthly cost forced home sale

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Adorn Cosmetics founder Briony Kennedy initiated the lawsuit after a planned three-month website migration stretched to nine months amid software defects and high turnover among technical staff. The business suffered further damage after spending over $1 million on social media advertisements that failed to direct shoppers to the malfunctioning digital storefront. Facing severe financial strain, Kennedy shrank her workforce from 15 employees down to just four and liquidated her personal property. The cosmetics brand has since cut ties with the software provider and migrated its operations to Shopify.

Key points

  • A botched enterprise software migration triggered a 30 percent decline in sales and force…: A botched enterprise software migration triggered a 30 percent decline in sales and forced severe company-wide downsizing.
  • The mounting debts and operational failures prompted the cosmetic brand's founder to sell…: The mounting debts and operational failures prompted the cosmetic brand's founder to sell her personal family home to stay afloat.
  • Adorn Cosmetics abandoned the expensive enterprise platform to rebuild its digital storef…: Adorn Cosmetics abandoned the expensive enterprise platform to rebuild its digital storefront on Shopify.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

An Australian beauty entrepreneur is fighting to keep her business afloat after what she describes as a disastrous website upgrade involving software giant Adobe. Briony Kennedy, founder of Melbourne-based ethical beauty brand Adorn Cosmetics, claims a transition to Adobe's Commerce Platform turned into a financial nightmare, leaving her with millions of dollars in losses, mounting debt and a business on the brink of collapse.

Kennedy, who founded Adorn Cosmetics in 2008, had built the brand into a successful make-up and skincare business that generated an annual turnover of $6 million at its peak. However, she claims that the company's fortunes took a dramatic turn after she decided to upgrade its website in 2021, moving from a basic platform to Adobe's Commerce Platform in the hope of expanding its digital reach and increasing sales.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Kennedy is now pursuing legal action against the US-based software company, alleging that the transition, which was expected to strengthen her online business, instead contributed to its financial downfall.

Adorn Cosmetics founder says Adobe promised revenue growth of up…

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