How to Score Points in Sporting Goods Retail
Retailers in the sporting goods sector have very specific types of concerns that other types of retailers may not have to deal with. That’s why ChainDrive has a special operations management solution for just sport goods retailers.
The following tips will help you make the most of running your retail operation while looking out for your clients.
- Manage your inventory more efficiently – Efficient inventory management requires knowing where every product is at all times. That includes those on order, those in transit, those between stores on transfer, and those on the shelves. You need to track every item down to the individual SKU.
- Analyze sizes and trends – It’s important to know what is trending in sports retailing. While some things remain unchanged in every sport, there are things that might be in one year and out the next. For instance, little league baseball often changes the rules on which bats can be used. Knowing the trends can keep you on top of the game. The same goes for sizes. Do you cater mostly to bigger boys and girls, smaller boys and girls, or adults?
- Manage your seasonal products – Sporting goods retailing is intrinsically seasonal. While every retailer has special items that are more popular during one time of year, sports retailers have more seasonal products than not because most sport is played during a specific season. You need a way to manage your seasons.
- Get a handle on serialization – If your store chain requires unique serial numbers for your products, you need a way to manage that process efficiently. ChainDrive has the perfect solution.
- Manage repairs – Sports equipment break. Tennis rackets need re-stringed, soccer goals need new parts, and fitness equipment may need some maintenance. You need a way to manage the repair process, keep track of customer equipment, and handle the process more efficiently. That’s really true if you deal with bulk orders like with schools and organized sports franchises.
When it comes to retailing, sporting goods is about as specialty as you can get. You need the right tools to be efficient and profitable.