Industry-Ecommerce


One giant trade database?


Paul Sherratt of Solutions for Sport wonders if a collective industry database could have a future JustEat A


s I sit here enjoying my summer holiday I allowed my mind the chance to wander a little. I’ve just read the latest results from JustEat- the company which


listed on the London market in April of last year, said that sales had increased 62pc to £157m as the company processed takeaway orders worth more than £1bn for its 8.1m customers last year.


One giant database If we think on a bigger scale, let’s imagine a database that could hold


article numbers/product codes, product names, bar codes, images, descriptions and perhaps even stock availability from the majority of core sporting goods suppliers. One vast system that represented sports industry data on such a scale


that subscribing members could access this data to use for their own purposes whether it be to populate their stock system, or even their own website. For the forward thinking ecommerce retailers, much of this information


is already being requested and is already being supplied by many within our industry.


Intersport Let’s take Intersport for example, who are requesting supplier data to


enable them to drive forward their central stock information strategy. The ultimate object is for all Intersport members to have an EPOS


system enabling Head Office to better analyse sell through and top sellers. However this system can only be effective if all suppliers’ new product


So what’s that got to do with our industry I hear you ask? Well , the core issue that JustEat addressed within the fast food market, and the reason why it has grown so rapidly, was the fact that whilst most local independent takeaway businesses knew that they should be online to attract a greater share of the market, most did not know how to manage this process or did not have the resources or expertise to implement such a strategy. Which got me thinking… How can retailers and pros face exactly the same


issue? I lost count of the number of conversations that I was having with


retailers who could see the sporting goods industry around them was changing faster than ever and yet they felt, for various reasons, unable to adjust and adapt to these changes to such an extent that I launched our own Solutions for Sport New Media division to address those demands, and now continue to see an ever increasing number of clients come knocking at the door looking for simple ecommerce solutions. Whilst each business is different, they all share a common requirement- supplier data. They need, as minimum, images and product descriptions to ensure that their sites are up to date with the latest products. Of course as we create more and more sites, this data becomes common


to an increasing number of clients and as such we are slowly creating our very own in-house database of the latest product information from multiple suppliers using this as the basis for site updates and effectively building our very own central database which holds supplier product information.


18 SGBGOLF


information is uploaded to the EPOS system. And, of course, this is exactly what suppliers are logically being


requested to assist with. Naturally it does not include product images or descriptions, however if you take this principle forward and it did include such information, then in theory, each individual Intersport member could tailor an ecommerce offer specific to their store and to the lines that they stock. It is also possible to imagine a website where the marketing of the site


would be done centrally (as is the JustEat model) and the actual set up of a site for each individual member would be as simple as checking a few boxes. In reality this is not the route that this particular business has chosen,


instead deciding that a central site would be more effective. However it wouldn’t stop other collectives from taking this route and providing another member benefit.


Online Store Let’s imagine a scenario where a retailer could set up his own online


store by simply registering a domain name, adding his logo/colours etc. and then choosing from an already preloaded database that has the bulk of all the latest products from his core suppliers. No time spent uploading new lines- simply choose which price to sell at, select the lines that he has chosen to purchase, and hence have in stock, and amend any other element the retailer sees fit.


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