Taking the Outdoor and Sporting Goods Business Online

Headquarters: Plymouth, MN

Industry: Sporting Goods Distribution

Website(s): www.billhicksco.com

Download the Bill Hicks case study.

A major distributor of outdoor equipment and sporting goods to major retailers such as Galyan’s, Gander Mountain, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, Minneapolis-based Bill Hicks Co. needed real-time technology to allow its retail customers to check inventory availability on items not in stock at the store. Bill Hicks also needed a way to reassure their retail customers that the requested out of stock item would be available for purchase at the store within 24 hours.

Bill Hicks wanted to implement an ecommerce website and knew that some of its dealers would place online orders, but was unsure of the overall adoption rate. To further compound the problem, sales representatives at the company were so busy answering questions from customers and processing new orders that they had little time to cultivate new client relationships. One thing was for certain: Bill Hicks needed a solution and needed one fast if it was going to maintain its position in the market.

Insite Software convinced the leadership team at Bill Hicks Co. that all of its retail clients would, indeed, readily use an online technology tool to check inventory and place new orders if one were available. Needing a solution that streamlined its business functions, Bill Hicks Co. chose to use InsiteCommerce to create their website.

Work on the site began by identifying the critical business issues for each order and inventory query. To do this, Insite Software surveyed end users and worked closely with the leadership team at Bill Hicks to make sure that all the pertinent business rules and workflows were considered. Then, Insite Software developed an appropriate project plan and worked with a contract graphic designer to create a fun, sports-themed user interface consistent with the overall company brand.

To achieve the real-time inventory management system that Bill Hicks required, Insite used InsiteCommerce to create a new website that was integrated with the company’s order processing and distribution software; an XML upload feature was created for large orders to reduce order entry time; an inventory management tool was designed to show available and promised inventory; and all of the tools were offered via the InsiteCommerce Management Console, an easy-to-use maintenance environment where the company could easily add new users and edit content.

The results were clear: More than 120 stores use the online order and inventory tracking tool created by Bill Hicks, a game-changer for the category and for the sporting good industry. Self-management at the store level freed up sales representatives to focus on new business efforts and Bill Hicks’ sales have increased without an increase in sales staff. The pioneering vision of Bill Hicks Co. not only revolutionized how it does business with its customers, it also securely the company as a category leader and innovator.

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Download a PDF of the Bill Hicks Case Study