Case Study: Tennis Express Leverages Integrated Software Solution to Grow Sales

PROBLEM: Tennis Express, an omnichannel retailer of tennis equipment, apparel and accessories, wanted to provide a seamless shopping experience for consumers across all of its selling channels — in-store, online, mobile and catalog (call center).

SOLUTION: Partnered with a software provider that could deliver point of sale (POS), ERP and e-commerce data in a single solution.

RESULTS: Since launching a single software solution for nearly all of its business processes in November 2008, Tennis Express has become one of the fastest-growing tennis retailers in the U.S.

With the retail environment shifting to one where consumers expect a seamless, hassle-free shopping experience every time they interact with a brand — no matter the channel — Tennis Express realized it needed to upgrade its software systems to meet this need. The retailer was hamstrung by siloed systems for critical business processes (e.g., POS, ERP, purchasing, receiving, inventory, web, mobile), hindering its ability to grow. For example, Tennis Express was unable to get a real-time view of inventory availability across channels, leading to frustrated consumers trying to buy out-of-stock items on the retailer's website.

Tennis Express began its search in early 2008 for a software provider that could deliver a single system for managing multiple businesses processes and data. It chose Celerant Technology, and launched the company's Command Retail solution in November 2008.

"Providing seamless omnichannel experiences for consumers is the key to our future," says Brad Blume, managing partner at Tennis Express. "Celerant enables us to deliver information in real time. Customers want a smooth and hassle-free experience. Our customers are able to shop with us across multiple channels, including our store, website, mobile site, digital catalog, physical catalog and other various marketplaces."

Managing inventory is key to providing consumers the seamless shopping experience they're looking for. Tennis Express is leveraging Celerant's software to update its inventory across all channels in real time, helping to prevent out of stocks and overstocks — and save money in the process. In addition to inventory, Tennis Express has access to data from its POS, ERP, web and mobile channels all in one integrated system.

"With Celerant, our team is able to focus on tennis and retailing vs. technology and integrating various software together," says Blume. Tennis Express is on its way to winning the game of omnichannel retail.