
Tech investment with Shipster and Descartes Peoplevox proves just the trick
Skateboarding retailer SkateHut is gearing up for a sales boom as the sport returns for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics kick-started a global phenomenon, making Team GB’s bronze-medal winning teenager Sky Brown a household name, and resulting in an increase in cross-generational participation.
Now, an expanded skateboarding schedule planned for Paris in August is expected to take adrenaline-inducing activity to dizzying new heights.
As SkateHut prepares for a surge in sales in decks, trucks, wheels and protective gear, it has further invested in technology to ensure it can cope with the summer order spike.
Central to this is its deployment of Descartes Peoplevox™, a leading ecommerce warehouse management system, and Shipster, the custom shipping integration platform which connects online retailers, ecommerce warehouses and distributors with over 100 leading couriers.
Together the software duo has automated SkateHut’s pick to ship process, increasing efficiency and productivity, increasing profits and enabling operational flexibility for growth.
The collaboration has now expanded to Linnworks, the ecommerce software, which connects to sales channels like eBay and Amazon, boosting SkateHuts reach further.
Commenting on the partnerships, Dell Blundell, Operations Director at SkateHut, said:
“Skateboarding’s popularity surged during the pandemic and the Tokyo Olympics. Its return to the global stage in Paris is set to trigger a major boost in demand for skate equipment.”
“Working with Descartes Peoplevox has enabled us to increase the number of orders we process, while Shipster has made the dispatch process tremendously slick.
“Seasonal surges can be tricky for businesses like ours, especially when accurate and on-time delivery is so crucial for building and maintaining a customer base. Investing in the right software stack has been vital. The technologies have proved to be the perfect solution for our growing business.”
Skateboarding has come a long way from an underground subculture in the 1970s to a £2.5billion global market. In the UK, the scene has witnessed remarkable growth, with hundreds of new skateparks popping up over the last decade, and a market estimated to be worth over £35m.
Descartes Peoplevox has helped SkateHut achieve total stock visibility, increase efficiency, improve customer satisfaction and created a strong foundation for continuing to scale the business.
Tony Cheetham, Founder and Managing Director at Shipster, said: “Retailers need a solution that is efficient, cost-effective and gets products out of the warehouse to customers seamlessly.
“Working together, Shipster and Descartes have developed a bespoke end-to-end pick-to-despatch system that has transformed SkateHut’s accuracy, productivity and scalability.”
Discover more about the solution and the video case study here: https://www.shipstersolutions.com/case-studies/skatehut
https://couriernews.co.uk/blog/skatehut-sales-ramp-up-as-skateboarding-returns-to-olympics/