IT System Development and Integration Phase 2 – Purchase, installation and integration
We are a wholesale distributor of outdoor brands to the corporate market. The business is B2B and you are required to have an account to buy from us. We sell in bulk to a variety of channels such as Emergency Services, Outdoor Education Centres, Expedition Companies, Schools and Colleges, Marketing and Promotional agencies, Workwear Companies and Corporate End Users (plc’s), such as Google, EDF Energy, MET Police, Warner Bros, Fox Films, Brand Addition and Cromwell Tools. We also supply large charitable organisations like The Princes Trust, many councils and Entrust (Capita) who manage Outdoor Education Centres across the UK. We operate in a niche market and have agreements in place with brands that give us exclusivity which means there is huge scope for realising the potential on offer. We currently have agreements with The North Face, Berghaus, Helly Hansen, RAB, Patagonia, Montane and Columbia.
To underpin our growth we need to ensure our systems, processes and associated infrastructure are fit for purpose. Our current internal process for processing orders is manual and inefficient in terms of time required to get orders shipped to customers. Double keying of all orders and invoices result in duplication of effort and time. There is a lack of visibility for the sales people with regard to customers live orders, past orders, credit limits & financials. Moreover, there is a lack of visibility for senior management to understand the value of current ‘live’ orders in the sales pipeline as ordering system is paper based. In summary, there is a lack of suitable reporting from the current situation which slows down strategic and operational decision making. The main objective of the project is to improve the efficiency of the business and to provide a suitable platform for growth
This project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
