Canadian bike manufacturer Norco Products Ltd. has launched Norco Sync, an e-commerce portal developed with SmartEtailing that enables consumers to view and purchase inventory at Norco’s Vancouver and Toronto warehouses through its IBD-branded e-commerce sites.
Norco Sync provides real-time inventory management that allows the IBD to link Norco’s warehouses with their physical inventory, drastically increasing product availability. With the online shopping environment pressuring the Canadian IBD, Norco is dedicated to strengthening its established dealer network.
Through Norco’s partnership with SmartEtailing, the Canadian IBD is able to provide a virtual inventory for customers, enabling a competitive edge over the competition. Norco Sync combines the intimacy and service of the IBD with the cost-effectiveness and economies of scale found in the digital marketplace. QBP of Minneapolis is working with SmartEtailing to introduce a similar platform for its more than 5,000 IBD partners later this year.
SmartEtailing’s co-founder Mark Graff comments, “Norco quickly recognized how this retailer-centric approach can keep local retailers relevant and in step with the multi-channel buying preferences of today’s consumers. We commend Norco for being a leader in this effort.”
“IBDs are absolutely essential to the success of our industry,” adds John Williams, president of Norco. He continues, “The customer service and face-to-face interaction of the IBD are essential for the ongoing growth of our industry. By teaming up with SmartEtailing we are now able to provide our IBDs with state-of-the-art technology to compete profitably in the online channel. Norco’s role in the Canadian marketplace is to support the IBD in any way possible.”
Norco Sync is currently available to all Canadian SmartEtailing premium customers and is already being used by select IBDs. Over the coming months the Canadian digital marketplace will shift and the flow of information and product will become smoother than ever. This is an exciting time to be a consumer or an IBD within the Canadian cycling industry.
