Case Study: THE 5TH achieves centralized inventory management and scalable global growth with QuickBooks Commerce

How The 5TH sold out on day 1 & trusted systems help them grow internationally

THE 5TH, founded by Alex McBride, is a direct-to-consumer watch brand that built a large Instagram following before launch and sold $100,000 worth of limited-edition watches on day one. Rapid success and expansion to multiple Shopify Plus stores and 3PL warehouses in Australia, the US and UK created an inventory-management nightmare, with poor visibility across locations threatening operations.

McBride worked with accounting firm Mi‑Fi to implement QuickBooks Commerce (formerly TradeGecko), integrating Shopify, Xero and multiple 3PLs into a single system. Centralized inventory, PO and 3PL management plus real-time sales intelligence cleaned up operations, enabled sustainable growth, and gave the team confidence to expand product lines and continue selling year‑round.

The 5TH

Natalie Shahine

Operations Manager