SPORT 2000 - the power of a retail collective

About SPORT 2000
SPORT 2000 is a well-known European sports franchise formula, with 60 participating retailers in the Netherlands. SPORT 2000 is part of the European ANWR: the largest Retail Service Organization for shoes, sports, and outdoor. NextChapter provides the collective e-commerce platform for the Dutch branch (AGN), which serves over 450 retailers in the Netherland

The Dutch SPORT 2000 retailers are in the midst of a digital transition. The affiliated retailers collaborate on e-commerce using the NextChapter multiˣ suite. The formula leverages the power of collective collaboration, meaning all stores offer their assortment online, with order fulfillment handled directly from the stores. The ultimate goal is to maximize revenue for all participating retailers.

Ambitions and challenges
A few years ago SPORT 2000 faced a challenging issue with their e-commerce infrastructure. The existing system comprised various standalone open-source solutions and custom-made systems, all interconnected as best as possible. They utilized a Magento webshop and various tools for pricing and importing product data. However, due to this complex structure, they could no longer meet the speed required by modern e-commerce. In other words, the systems, architecture, and costs for technical maintenance of IT projects were no longer sustainable within the growing market demands.

What SPORT 2000 needed
SPORT 2000 faced a significant challenge in renewing its e-commerce system. A seamless integration between the collective e-commerce platform and physical stores was crucial to provide customers with a consistent shopping experience. SPORT 2000 required a new webshop capable of handling high volumes while delivering a strong user experience.

Additionally, a Product Information Management (PIM) system was needed. With over 800,000 products, the ability to efficiently and accurately manage and enrich all product data from a centralized environment was of great importance.

Another challenge was efficiently processing all e-commerce orders across more than 60 stores. To streamline this, an Order Management System was required that could not only handle order processing but also manage real-time inventory updates and coordinate shipments from various locations.

Finally, SPORT 2000 wanted to integrate its financial and BI systems with the e-commerce platform. The diverse options offered by NextChapter for data exchange, such as real-time API connections or more traditional integrations like XML, provided the solution for this

What we achieved for SPORT 2000

A complete replatforming of the e-commerce systems to a SaaS platform, specializing in multichannel sales, with a customized frontend and integrations with existing systems.

New NextChapter webshop with store inventory functionality and click & collect.

Integrations for product data from suppliers.

Inventory data from 60+ stores.

PIM for a broad and deep assortment.

Pricing module.

Order Management System for multiple inventory locations and ship-from-store functionality.

Comprehensive order allocation business rules for distributing orders to stores.

Vendor console (merchant back office) for processing and shipping webshop orders via PostNL.

Automated order cancellations.

Decentralized return processing and automated refunds.

The end result
SPORT 2000 now has a completely new collective e-commerce system with seamlessly running processes and scalability for the future. There has been a significant improvement in the processing of product data and processes. A new, fast, and stable webshop with a stronger design leads to higher conversion rates. This lays the foundation for further steps in marketing, revenue growth, and customer loyalty, resulting in annual growth for SPORT 2000.

What the Future Holds

SPORT 2000 looks forward with anticipation and embraces a series of ambitious goals. The focus is on driving innovation and growth, particularly in the areas of personalization, customer retention, and increasing longtail sales. These objectives are supported by a range of integrations and capabilities already integrated into the comprehensive NextChapter multiˣ suite.