Amundsen Sport secures economic growth with Visma Net

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“We could never have bet so hard on e-commerce without a solid system at the bottom.

It was while studying industrial design that Jørgen Olav Amundsen produced an exclusive watch. It was minted on family history, became popular and sold out fast. Because yes, he is related to Roald Amundsen. The watch success was a fact after a few years; Amundsen sold himself into a Swiss watch company and brought the operation to Geneva.

Perhaps it was the Swiss Alps that made the mind wander, for the watch adventure was supposed to end here. After a few years, he pulled out to start Amundsen Sports. Soon his childhood friend Erik Friis also joined, and together they made “the world's first technical nickers”.

“We wondered why nickers had disappeared from the market. Why did people use it in the old days? It wasn't because they couldn't make pants, but because nikkers had quite a few advantages that pants don't have.

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Quality as a business model

Amundsen and Friis turned their snout towards Antarctica. For where else would they have tested a collection, surely, than in the footsteps of Roald Amundsen? They concluded that nikkers are much more adaptable than a pant.

“All wet dirt is on the lower part of the leg, so just take off your leggings when you enter the cabin. You don't have to strip down to underwear or change into a brand new outfit. That's one of the basic things we're concerned with, that clothing should be versatile.

“If you buy an anorak from us and you can wear it in a boat, in summer, on the ski track, downhill, hunting in autumn - if it also has a timeless design so that you don't feel stupid in it five years later, then in principle you should be able to wear it for a long time. I think that's the only way forward: quality. That's what the younger customer group is concerned about.

“In the next 3-year plan, 33 percent of our revenue will go through e-commerce. It is only then that you become aware of how important your systems are!

Automation of processes

The first four years were all about building distribution. Since then, the arrows have pointed upwards. In 2019, turnover stood at 46 million — a good increase from 2 million in 2012. Soon Amundsen Sports will have a turnover of 100 million.

They are impatient to automate processes. Now the return scheme is for the trip, that is, the clothes customers send back for some reason. In that solution, the customer fills out a form online, and sends the item in the mail. Then the return is already on hold in the system, and you just have to pick it up in the system and approve. The integration with the online store WooCommerce allows the customer to automatically get their money back.

It's easier for the customer, but also for us. We don't have to plot anything. The customer really did the work himself.

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Custom reports with real-time data

Finding the right Visma partner has proven to bring benefits. Amundsen Sports needed a complex set-up. Cloud Connection, for its part, wanted to build expertise in e-commerce and logistics. Together they have tested, failed, developed and solved challenges.

Now the system goes by itself and posts automatically -- a prerequisite with so many transactions per day. In addition to not having to plot data manually, they also have full control over the various inventories.

We used to do this in Excel. Now we have custom reports that measure progress. I go in every day and look at sales, margins and product levels. It is absolutely crucial to be able to measure week by week that we are on pace on budget. Especially when we are going to trade for 25% of the whole year in the last two months before Christmas.

Get to know the logistics functionality of Visma Net

Few of us may think about how many operations it takes, from confirming the purchase until the item is in your hands. After a customer has ordered new clothes, the order is automatically sent from the online store to the Visma system.

“There it comes straight into our logistics and accounting system, before it goes to delivery, which in turn is picked up by the nearest warehouse. Once they have packed, shipped and registered the order, the system reports and invoices back to us. At the same time, the e-commerce system notifies that the order is complete, and notifies the customer that the package is on its way.

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Bet hard on e-commerce

The entrepreneur finds it difficult to quantify how much they have saved. He explains it by the fact that e-commerce has exploded and evolved in tandem with the systems.

“But at least I know that the solution has given us the opportunity to invest in e-commerce. There is a completely different dynamic in the retail trade that requires completely different systems. We could never bet so hard on e-commerce without a solid system at the bottom. I think we've stepped up the trail for other people who are into merchandising. My impression is that Visma develops its solutions together with the users. As all the users out there have different needs, they develop solutions based on where the shoe prints with customers.

Download Guide: How to Succeed in E-Commerce

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