How Jack Wolfskin created B2B success with Elastic

In the heart of the outdoor industry, few brands have the storied reputation of Jack Wolfskin. Founded over 40 years ago and growing to serve outdoor enthusiasts around the globe, the company has always been more than just an outdoor apparel and equipment brand. Jack Wolfskin represents adventure, innovation, and the pursuit of nature’s beauty.

While leading the way in the outdoor market, they were also among the first to innovate in the B2B space. Long before digital transformation became a buzzword, the Jack Wolfskin team was exploring ways to make the wholesale business more efficient.

Since the early 2000’s, Jack Wolfskin has experimented with an in-house B2B portal to streamline sales processes… but as the brand expanded, so did the complexity of its orders and wholesale business. Managing both pre-book and in-season orders was becoming increasingly difficult. Additionally, the brand expanded globally into Europe, necessitating a trusted solution capable of managing the complexity and scale of their operations—one already trusted and recognized in the industry. Enter Elastic.

A seamless transformation with Elastic

Jack Wolfskin confidently partnered with Elastic Suite, primarily due to the platform’s widespread adoption and strong reputation among their teams, reps, and buyers—and the results did not disappoint.

One of the biggest advantages of the Elastic solution was how smoothly the platform could integrate with the brand’s existing ERP system (SAP). The result? A dramatic reduction in the time it took for customer service teams to key in orders, significantly improving both accuracy and speed. Additionally, Elastic’s digital catalog and collection features reduced agency costs for creating seasonal workbooks, which had previously been expensive and time-consuming to produce. Now, digital assets could be created and customized by reps, all managed effortlessly through Elastic.

Empowering sales teams with powerful tools

The Jack Wolfskin sales team quickly adopted Elastic’s tools, with the whiteboard as a favorite feature. The platform’s whiteboard enables sales reps to build and customize beautifully curated collections for meetings and presentations, utilizing product imagery and compelling visuals.

“The sales team loves the whiteboard tool,” says Kai Wenz, Director of Sales Operations. “This feature allows them to curate and show collections with ease, creating a more dynamic experience for our wholesale partners.”

Today, 65% of Jack Wolfskin’s pre-book orders—5,000-7,000 orders per season—are processed through Elastic, in addition to the brand’s in-season (at-once) orders. Elastic has proven to be a valuable and effective tool for buyers, from small shops to large retailers across Europe, who appreciate its ease of use and the opportunity for collaboration to help build stronger relationships with Jack Wolfskin and their current and prospective retail buyers.

Driving efficiencies across the board

The benefits of Elastic extend beyond sales, creating efficiencies across customer service, marketing, and operations. Customer service became more agile, accounting became more accurate, and managing digital assets in marketing became easier.

One of the most significant changes was the elimination of printed catalogs and workbooks. With a fully digital approach, the speed of creating digital catalogs and custom collections improved dramatically, transforming day-to-day operations while reducing associated print costs.

A Strong Partnership for the Future

Throughout the entire journey, Elastic’s support team has been there every step of the way. “Elastic’s customer service has been excellent,” says Kai. “Whenever we’ve had concerns or requests for improvements, they’ve responded quickly and helped us utilize the platform to better meet our unique needs.”

While Elastic continues to manage and optimize day-to-day B2B operations, Jack Wolfskin is primed to focus on ongoing sales growth and success. By delivering an exceptional service and experience to their wholesale partners, they’ve both strengthened relationships and streamlined processes, all while staying ahead in digital innovation. As the brand continues to push boundaries in the outdoor industry, its commitment to efficiency and sustainability ensures it’ll continue striving for what’s next—just like the adventurers who rely on its products to explore the natural world.