Boulder, CO —Specialized Bicycles has released a new digital service for retailers called “S-Fulfillment,” which integrates with SmartEtailing’s Supplier Fulfillment technology.
Approved retailers are now able to drop ship select Specialized products directly to consumers who purchased on the bike shops’ SmartEtailing website.
“There is tremendous demand for Specialized products and our data clearly shows that customers are buying online from their local shop,” shares SmartEtailing president Ryan Atkinson. “This integration helps consumers get Specialized products delivered to their homes faster while shops can reduce inventory and payroll costs for ecommerce orders.”
Specialized chose to expand their integration with SmartEtailing to support what is expected to be sustained consumer demand for online shopping. The company’s goal is to make Specialized products more accessible to riders through local retailers.
“Their choice to prioritize this retailer-facing feature ahead of other technology projects speaks volumes about their commitment to the IBD channel,” says Atkinson.
Neil Bremner, the owner of Texas’ Bike Barn and a Specialized dealer is excited to use this program. “Online sales continue to grow and are an important part of our business. We like drop ship programs because they improve our customer experience by providing quicker delivery. It’s been a great solution for Bike Barn.”
“Technology can help retailers overcome some of their biggest challenges,” continues Atkinson. “The reality is that it's physically impossible for retailers to stock the full assortment of Specialized products. With this new drop ship capability a dealer can unlock the full potential of partnering with the Specialized brand.”
Every SmartEtailing Professional website package has the option to add Supplier Fulfillment. Specialized retailers will receive instructions on how to enable the service and SmartEtailing provides assistance with configuration and marketing.
All Specialized, S-Works, and Roval equipment SKUs are available to be drop shipped (excluding Turbo batteries). Additional items that qualify for drop ship include framesets (excluding Turbo framesets), Riprock Coaster bikes, Hotwalks, and the Jett line of bikes.
S-Fulfillment builds on the company’s current drop ship capability that requires the retailer to facilitate the transaction using the Specialized B2B portal. The B2B service is still available for special orders placed in the store or for retailers without a SmartEtailing website.
The new SmartEtailing integration is available to all authorized Specialized retailers in the United States starting today.
About SmartEtailing
Founded in 1999, SmartEtailing provides website, marketing, and data solutions to help independent bicycle retailers and suppliers sell more products in-store and online. With SmartEtailing, a bike shop’s website is transformed from a passive advertisement to an interactive, content-rich marketing vehicle that informs and sells to customers. SmartEtailing is committed to the success of local specialty bicycle retailers by providing tools that help them effectively compete in an evolving retail environment.
