Surf industry leader Rip Curl is deploying Elastic’s digital merchandising platform with the aim of eliminating the company’s printed B2B sales catalogs and marketing materials. The move comes on the heels of the endorsement of Elastic’s wholesale ecommerce technology by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) as part of the organization’s new Business Sustainability Alliance, designed to strengthen the surf industry’s commitment to the environment.
Elastic’s legendary technology team and commitment to customer service were key factors in Rip Curl’s selection of Elastic. The initial Elastic rollout covers the company’s regions in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Costa Rica, with the potential to extend the technology to additional global regions.
“Helping our clients enhance their brands through more sustainable B2B merchandising and sales practices is exactly what the Elastic platform was designed to do. Partnering with Rip Curl in this way, while also giving back to support the surf industry’s environmental stewardship efforts, is a perfect opportunity for us to maximize the sustainability benefits of our technology in a meaningful and measurable way.”
–Josh Reddin, Founder & EVP, Elastic Suite
According to Rip Curl, the company sees its pathway to sustainability as a journey in which its customers, crew, and shareholders are constantly raising their expectations for the environment. The company is committed to exceeding this level of expectation in part through its participation in the SIMA Business Sustainability Alliance and by using the Elastic platform to achieve print-free B2B merchandising and sales. This effort exemplifies Rip Curl’s alignment of all aspects of their business with the values shared by their retailers, customers and crew.
“As surfers, we feel firsthand the immediate effects of pollution. We see rampant development on our coasts, we see the effects of a runaway consumer lifestyle and the general disregard for the future of the ecosystem as a whole.”
-Tom Curren, Rip Curl Team Rider
According to SIMA, the surf industry collectively creates nearly 180,000 wholesale product catalogs annually. Research by the Environmental Paper Network shows that printing and shipping this number of 150-page catalogs requires 540 tons of wood made from 3,244 trees, uses 3.45 million BTUs of energy, produces 2.43 million pounds of CO2, uses 2.89 million gallons of water and produces 159,480 pounds of solid waste. All of these negative environmental impacts will be eliminated when moving to print-free B2B sales and as others in the surf industry are prompted to follow Rip Curl’s lead in taking this step.
Print Reduction & Sales Lift with Fully Integrated B2B
In addition to these sustainability benefits, Elastic is helping Rip Curl realize cost savings, sales growth, and stronger relationships with their retailers. The move to a digital merchandising platform will provide a more seamless, standardized, and efficient wholesale buying process for retailers, which is a top priority for Rip Curl. Ease of Elastic’s integration and the platform’s robust features are helping the company create and manage multi-ship or multi-door orders, manage inventory in real time, allow reps and retailers to order in-stock products across multiple seasons under a single purchase order, and gain greater visibility into order status, shipping, and invoices.
Digital Catalogs
Rip Curl’s digital catalogs powered by Elastic are making the B2B purchasing experience more interactive, visual, and strategic, as sales reps can collaboratively curate assortment plans to ensure higher sell-through and the potential for greater margins at retail. Digital catalogs increase efficiency, as sales teams no longer have to task an internal designer with laying out their seasonal product catalog pages. Rip Curl sales reps can also use the Elastic whiteboarding feature to more efficiently create custom merchandise assortments for their buyers, resulting in more effective and profitable sales presentations. All of these features add up to reduced costs, increased sales revenue, and a greatly enhanced purchasing interface with retailers.
Elastic Suite B2B platforms serve clients representing some of the world’s largest and most iconic brands in the outdoor, surf, cycling, sporting goods, apparel, and footwear industries. In addition to Rip Curl, selected brands include: The North Face, Patagonia, Timberland, Volcom, Shimano, Gordini, Kuhl, Outdoor Research, Pearl iZUMi, Rawlings, TYR, Fjällräven, New Balance, 2XU, Boardriders, Crocs, Puma, Oakley, Reebok/CCM, Haggar, Lazer, Bauer Hockey, Easton, Burton, Reef, Hurley, Icebreaker, Fila, Nidecker, Black Diamond, Majestic, Osprey, Smith Optics, Bushnell, Fox River, Lowe Alpine, Rab, Carhartt, Dickies, Helly Hansen, Ariat, Marmot, Simms Fishing, Lole, Carter’s, Smartwool, Speedo, Golfino, Hi-Tec, Bell, OshKosh, Vans and CamelBak.