Shimano, the global leader in bicycle components and technology, has chosen PlumRiver Technologies’ Elastic Suite digital B2B merchandising solution for developing enhanced commercial sales tools for reps covering multiple product lines throughout North America. Shimano is building upon the success utilizing Elastic with their Pearl iZUMi brand and is now extending the industry-leading sales technology to Shimano-branded apparel, footwear and their recently acquired Lazer helmet subsidiary. The deal demonstrates the capability of the Elastic platform to cover the broad spectrum of Shimano’s product lines, including the future potential to service the full B2B sales and distribution needs of the company’s global bicycle component business.
“Shimano was looking for a digital sales and merchandising solution to provide our reps with the most innovative tools to better manage our diverse and growing product lines. Elastic has exceeded our expectations when using their technology with our Pearl iZUMi product segment and we expect equally successful results with our Shimano apparel and footwear products, as well as Lazer helmets.”
-Ryan Miller, Shimano Senior Sales Manager
Cycling Standardization Now Extends to Shimano Apparel, Footwear and Lazer Helmets
Digital catalog creation, commercial sales rep merchandising tools, assortment planning and enhanced B2B sales process efficiency are integral components of the Elastic platform. The rollout will cover the US and Canadian market regions for the company. The implementation will include seamless integration with Shimano’s sales and business processes including Oracle’s JD Edwards (JDE) EnterpriseOne, Shimano’s current enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. With greater operational efficiency and reduction of printed sales materials, Shimano also expects to achieve new levels of green business practices and strengthen the company’s commitment to sustainability.
“Working with a leading global brand like Shimano is an incredible opportunity for Elastic and we look forward to fully integrating with their business while empowering their B2B sales team with our best-in-class wholesale merchandising tools. This partnership demonstrates the flexibility of the Elastic platform to evolve and grow in response to our clients’ needs. We foresee eventually helping Shimano more efficiently manage all segments of their business, including their global bicycle component sales and distribution.”
-Josh Reddin, PlumRiver Technologies CEO
The core benefit of adopting and fully implementing Elastic’s innovative technology is that it helps manufacturers achieve efficiency-driven cost savings and incremental sales growth. Cost savings come through streamlined order entry, print reduction, resource optimization, inventory management, online payment functionality and product sample reduction. Increased sales revenues come through brand-specific retailer/dealer applications, strategic sales planning, digital merchandising, product customization, managing complex pricing incentive programs, assortment planning tools, history-driven selling, strengthening brand equity, segmented sales capability, increased client acquisition/retention and enhanced product presentations.
PlumRiver’s B2B platforms serve clients representing some of the world’s largest and most iconic brands in the outdoor, surf, cycling, sporting goods, apparel, lifestyle and footwear industries. In addition to Shimano, selected brands served include: The North Face, Patagonia, Rip Curl, Active Brands, Timberland, Volcom, Gordini, Kuhl, Houdini, Ortovox, Trespass, Dainese, Black Crows, Outdoor Research, Pearl iZUMi, Devold of Norway, Rawlings, Stanley-PMI, TYR, Fjällräven, New Balance, Montane, 2XU, Boardriders, Crocs, Puma, Reebok/CCM, Klättermusen, Kidiliz, O’Neill, Original Buff, Carhartt, Havaianas, Odlo, Orvis, Haggar, Lazer, Bauer Hockey, Easton, Burton, Hurley, Icebreaker, Nidecker, Black Diamond, Osprey, Smith Optics, Bushnell, Fox River, Lowe Alpine, Rab, Dickies, Helly Hansen, Ariat, Marmot, Simms Fishing, Lole, Carter’s, Smartwool, Golfino, Hi-Tec, Bell, OshKosh, Vans and CamelBak.
About PlumRiver Technologies
Founded in 2003, PlumRiver Technologies is a leading provider of B2B ecommerce SaaS solutions. Easy-to-use, web-based applications are tailored to the needs of manufacturers and wholesalers of footwear, apparel, outdoor, surf, sporting goods and other segments of the specialty retail market. In early 2016 PlumRiver acquired Elastic Suite Inc. the leading provider of B2B digital merchandising and sales enhancement technologies serving category-leading clients from a variety of manufacturing verticals. PlumRiver acquired CenterStone Technologies in 2018, bringing together the combined experience of a strong technology team behind the company’s Elastic platform as the industry standard wholesale purchasing interface between manufacturers and retailers. Some of the world’s biggest brands utilize the company’s Elastic technology platform that quickly bridges the gap between order processing systems, sales reps, retailers and consumers. Clients benefit further from Elastic features designed to quickly and easily integrate with existing IT infrastructure and ERP systems.
