CenterStone Technologies, Inc. announced that ONeill Clothing has gone “live” for their retail dealers on the companys iVendix software application for business-to-business (B2B) on-line ordering. ONeill Clothing dealers will be able to place their pre-season orders and all their re-orders through this new B2B tool which is accessible 24/7 via the World Wide Web. Dealers will also be able to check on the availability of product as well as track and monitor the status of their orders.
“We are truly excited that we are now live for our dealers on this new platform. In order to continue to provide the timeliest access to our products as well as superior customer service to our specialty retailers, ONeill Clothing now has an industry standard, B2B on-line ordering solution,” said Toby Bost, Chief Operating Officer at ONeill Clothing. “In our mind, a proven solution is one that retailers will readily embrace, so we partnered with CenterStone whose iVendix solution has rapidly become a standout leader in action sports and outdoor recreation. What makes CenterStone unique is that they have an established retail community utilizing their solution many of which are already ONeill customers. Obviously, this gives us a huge head start in terms of adoption and overcoming any sort of learning curve.”
Tom Detmer, CEO of CenterStone Technologies commented, “We are very excited about ONeill Clothings decision to launch a B2B on-line solution for their dealers with CenterStone. ONeill Clothing asked us to get them live by MAGIC, and our team rose to the occasion. Joe Schaeffer and his team at Innovative Systems were a joy to work with, and half the credit belongs to them. Innovative is the ERP provider for ONeill Clothing with their Full Circle product. We have been able to seamlessly integrate all orders for ONeill Clothing into their Full Circle back-end system. The decision by ONeill Clothing to offer CenterStones next-generation iVendix solution will allow them to take advantage of more than 10,000 specialty retailers who already using our B2B on-line solution. Dealers and sales reps have been very quick to adopt the CenterStone solution.
Bost went on to say, “We challenged CenterStone to get us live for the upcoming MAGIC trade show as well as ASR, and they met that challenge by completing the project in a record 60 days. To top it off, this solution is Internet-enabled, and available 24/7, so our dealers will be able to spend more time during the day on the shop floor with their customers and still be able to transact business with ONeill Clothing after normal, retail business hours. We wanted to provide our dealers with the convenience of being able to see product availability and place orders 24/7. Its not just about having the best products. Being easy to do business with will set ONeill Clothing apart and ultimately contributes to the ongoing success of our dealers. With this new on-line ordering solution, ONeill Clothing expects to set a new standard for fulfilling dealers orders.”
Detmer commented further, “The trade show environment that is offered through the CenterStone solution will make it that much easier for customers of ONeill Clothing to do business with them, as it is the same system these dealers are already using for a host of their other suppliers, such as The North Face, Smith Optics, Freestyle watches, Pearl Izumi, Marmot, Helly Hansen, Sport Obermeyer, Ex Officio, KHS Bicycles and many others. With CenterStone as their partner, ONeill Clothing will continue to raise the bar for customer service in the surf and action sports industry. Dealers and sales reps have been very quick to embrace the CenterStone solution, and we expect that ONeill Clothings decision to implement the CenterStone solution will have a significant, positive impact on their business.”
“A recent survey of 3,200 specialty retailers found that 54% of dealers spend more with vendors who have a CenterStone-like solution, and on average they spend 13% more with these CenterStone-enabled vendors. It seems that dealers are voting with their wallets, and they spend more with vendors who are easier to do business with. Dealers have also clearly expressed to us that they want to be able to conduct business at their convenience, and the management team at ONeill Clothing is listening to what dealers are saying, Detmer said.”
Brands currently making the CenterStone Technologies solution available to their retail customers and sales reps include: The North Face, part of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC); Pearl Izumi, a division of Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE: NLS); Marmot Mountain, Ex Officio and Marker Apparel, part of K2 Corporation (NYSE: KTO); Helly Hansen; Hot Chillys; Perry Ellis Intl. (NASDAQ: PERY); Geneva Watch Group; Cleveland Golf, part of Quiksilver (NYSE: ZQK); RipCurl; Billabong; Sport Obermeyer; Smith Optics; Garmont; KHS Bicycles; Dale of Norway, Malone Auto Racks, Walk-EZ, and others.
