Sportler AG

• Automation accelerates order processing, simplifies accounting processes and reduces errors
• Omnichannel trading partner connectivity platform supports multiple projects that run in parallel
• Responsive support infrastructure provides rapid response across multiple international locations

Sportler AG is a leading family-owned sporting goods retailer with headquarters in Bolzano, in the heart of the Dolomites. Since its foundation in 1977, SPORTLER has been growing continuously and inspires active athletes with quality, expert advice, and unique offerings in now 25 stores throughout Italy and Austria, as well as online at www.Sportler.com. All 600+ employees are active athletes themselves and therefore offer guests and customers expert advice on an array of activities, including winter sports, mountain biking, running, and general fitness.

Sportler AG wanted to connect as many partners as possible along the entire supply chain via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) while not creating an additional load for the internal IT resources. Its customers and partners are located all over the world, and the company needed a solution that would be able to handle global connectivity. Each new partner also means a new onboarding project, where different communication channels and message types (INVOIC, INVRPT, ORDERS, ORDRSP, DESADV, INVRPT IN & OUT, PRICAT, SLSRPT) should be implemented.

Following a rigorous review of different EDI options, Sportler AG decided to select TrueCommerce to optimize its supply chain. Thanks to TrueCommerce flexible solutions, the company was able to connect the existing and new suppliers to its network and handle projects on different complexity levels.

As the result, the TrueCommerce solution is now able to automate key supply chain processes, including product data and images entry, purchasing, logistics, shipped items receipts processing, re-sorting of goods at the point-of-sale, and invoice management. EDI is no longer a purely IT asset, but a business tool, with the aim of maximizing availability of products for customers and unlocking new revenue potential.

TrueCommerce’s EDI solution and services proved to be flexible and adaptable to the needs of Sportler AG and its partners. Depending on a business need, TrueCommerce offers the right solution and implements it on short notice, thus reducing the load on Sportler’s scarce internal IT resources. The individual projects run smoothly in parallel, and all questions can be clarified promptly. In the future, Sportler AG plans to use additional tools, such as the WebEDI portal and Partner Onboarding through TrueCommerce.

“What we particularly appreciate about the long-standing cooperation with TrueCommerce is the high flexibility and the wide range of products. We can connect all our different partners perfectly,” notes Wolfgang Stadler, Project and Process Manager at Sportler AG. “This allows us to concentrate on our core business, the optimal consulting of our customers, increase their satisfaction on a daily basis and generate new sales.”