San Mateo, Calif.—April 4, 2014—NetSuite Inc., a provider of cloud-based financials, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and omni-channel commerce software suites, announced new customer wins, and strong momentum among outdoor retailers, manufacturers and distributors turning to the NetSuite cloud to improve their business efficiency and sales performance. Transforming into agile enterprises with swift execution and customer focus, according to the company, outdoor and fitness product companies are more competitive with larger merchants that have greater economies of scale by using NetSuite’s integrated cloud business management solution for ERP, inventory and order management, customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce and more.
These merchants are taking advantage of double-digit growth in the outdoor and fitness markets with new capacity to rapidly develop and launch products, while expanding sales scope across business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) channels and across multiple countries. For example, the Outdoor Industry Association reports that U.S. sales of outdoor equipment and apparel increased 10.2 percent in December 2013 over the previous year, reaching nearly $2.4 billion. Steady growth is expected in 2014 and beyond as more people engage in active, healthy lifestyles, and an enjoyment of the outdoors.
With NetSuite’s unified software platform, outdoor and fitness merchants are eliminating disconnected on-premise applications to improve operational and financial efficiency and visibility. These customers report decreases in manual administrative work and delays, and new abilities to monitor and guide the business through key metrics based on real-time data.
Realizing savings in greater productivity and the elimination of in-house information technology (IT) infrastructure, NetSuite outdoor and fitness customers are focusing their resources on product innovation, expansion of channels and territories, and customer-focused sales and service in both wholesale and direct-to-consumer markets. As a result, many report steady double-digit growth and winning new business with large retailers, such as REI, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shops, often utilizing electronic data interchange (EDI) solutions from the NetSuite SuiteCloud Developer Network (SDN) partners to streamline transactions with chains.
Real-time inventory management capabilities in NetSuite enable outdoor and fitness customers to optimize stock, reduce carrying costs and scale to periods of peak demand, while NetSuite SuiteCommerce gives them a fast, interactive e-commerce storefront to build their brands and drive direct-to-consumer sales.
With NetSuite, outdoor and fitness companies are able to:
- Convert leads to orders, orders to shipments, and shipments to revenue with NetSuite's advanced warehouse, inventory management and order fulfillment capabilities.
- Improve supply chain operations with integrated inventory and order management, and building demand forecasts with real-time data, reducing excess inventory and the risk of stock outs.
- Eliminate manual processes and IT systems maintenance by running the business in the cloud.
- Monitor and manage the business with a customizable business dashboard, featuring built-in best practices.
And NetSuite SuiteCommerce brings to these businesses key omni-channel commerce functionality, helping them:
- Manage B2B and B2C e-commerce with NetSuite SuiteCommerce, providing businesses with the scalability and agility to serve both types of customers from a single platform.
- Provide a real-time, 360-degree view of the business by seamlessly integrating financials/ERP, CRM and e-commerce, thereby empowering businesses to manage their interactions directly with consumers, other businesses and trading partners.
- Manage all transactions and associated customer interactions regardless of touch point.
Among the many outdoor industry companies that improved their business performance with NetSuite are Kurgo, Manduka, Sellmark Corp. and TriggerPoint Performance Therapy.
