ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Asana Activewear Finds a Digital Asset Transfer System to Improve Efficiency

Problem: Asana Activewear, an online retailer of fitness and yoga apparel, sought a centralized product image management system to remerchandise its site.

Solution: Accessed a free digital asset transfer system to quickly and securely request, track and manage image assets in one place.

Results: Asana Activewear has realized a 50 percent increase in efficiency relating to image exchange and management.

Twice annually, Asana Activewear needs to secure nearly 3,000 product images from its 30 featured vendors to update its e-commerce website. Sending image requests and tracking communications is an immense time expenditure, but the method of exchange, which varies from CDs and FTP sites to email and individual image libraries, is the crux of the problem. During a typical seasonal merchandise refresh, Asana manages as many FTP and site passwords as they have vendors. Additionally, CDs often arrive with an incomplete image inventory.

“Devoting manpower to the tedious task of product image collection means less time spent adding value to our business in more meaningful ways,” said Gary Schwake, co-founder and co-owner of Asana Activewear, in a press release.

Upon learning of shotfarm, a free, centralized digital asset exchange service that allows retailers and manufacturers to quickly and securely share product images and information, Schwake immediately joined hoping both his company and his partners could reap the benefits of free, centralized product image management. Asana enlisted a handful of its vendor partners to join shotfarm as well, and it began to upload its own images from partners who hadn't yet signed on.

Soon Asana was requesting, tracking and managing image assets in one place, realizing a 50 percent increase in efficiency relating to image exchange and management with its shotfarm participating partners versus nonusers.

“Our partners have been receptive to our request because they want to simplify our workflow, but, in doing so, they’ve simplified their own as well,” said Schwake. “Our goal is a single method of exchange for all of our partners. With that comes unimaginable efficiencies.” Asana aims to bring at least half of its partners on board for a fall/winter merchandise site overhaul.

Also of particular interest to Asana is shotfarm’s forthcoming hosted viewer product, which promises affordability and simplicity. Viewers eliminate the need to standardize, rename and resize images, generate thumbnails and upload images to a separate hosting provider.

“This is a game changer for us as a small business; we’ll no longer be priced out of this important e-commerce feature,” said Schwake. “Our partners are excited at the possibilities. The combination of shotfarm's image library and hosted viewer gets as close as possible to the holy grail of zero-touch image management, taking our efficiency to nearly 100 percent.”