Team Insight

on it anyway." One technology threat he sees is more major brands selling footwear, bats, gloves and other items directly to the end consumer through their DTC (direct-to-consumer) sites. Krebs' advice on technology: "Computers are great, but they're only as smart as the in- formation that you put into them. Also, when you're buying technology, find something that fits who you are or who you want to be. ere can be some very cumbersome technologies out there and some antiquated ones. Do your homework on them." National Sports AppareL, based in Orange, CA, lately has seen a big technology benefit from automating communications, particularly linking its decoration department to a growing sales team. Says GM Steve Peterson: "We have a lot more salespeople who are not in our building all the time. ey can't just walk out to the back warehouse and see that their orders are there." Gaining visibility into real-time inventories at vendors has also come in handy as suppli- ers, particularly shoe brands, are working to maintain leaner inventory levels. Online, team stores have been a break- through for National Sports to reach individual customers. "at's been a massive change to the industry," says Peterson. "With budgets going away, being able to sell that directly to players has been a big deal." However, Peterson believes driving more efficient communications has been technology's primary benefit. In areas like art and decoration, National Sports has underinvested in tech compared to some national competitors because Peterson believes coaches and administrators "haven't sort of demanding that stuff." Even in communications, he believes the human element takes presence. "We're so relationship-driven in the team business. ere's only a certain level of technology that works before people go, 'Nah, I want to talk to somebody.'" Among newer technologies, Peterson sees the potential for artificial intelligence-driven chatbots quickly telling a rep what's available across colors and size ranges. "So much time on the sales side is devoted to just what's available," he says. "It might be a while before it comes down the pike." Among risks related to technology, Peterson suscepts some logistics innovation could po- tentially lead to the "Amazonification" of the team dealer industry, where uniform orders are expected back within one or two days or even hours. He notes that most buyers are still over 40 and "didn't grow up with cell phone in their pockets," but some younger ones express surprise at the two-to-three-week turnaround window. Sandy Heldman, owner at Gee & Bee Sporting Goods, Auburn, ME, has seen a complete overhaul in how uniforms are ordered in his 46 years as a dealer. "In the old days, you hand wrote the order, sent it in and they'd send back an acknowl- edgement," Heldman recalls. "Now, you're placing everything online. ey review it, send you a proof, you approve it, send it to your customers…it really is an easy transition." Working with the end user has also sig- nificantly changed with sites from Champro and others enabling teams to drive the order. "e customers are doing all the work," says Heldman. "ey're designing it, they're putting in the rosters and sizes, they're sending it to us. We're just tweaking it, looking at it, sending it in and ordering it." While the online shi has sped up the or- dering process in many ways, and it helps in viewing order activity and inventory levels and also likely brings down uniform costs, it has added some challenges. "Some of the older people in the sporting goods business, me included, really struggle with technology, especially if you don't do it every day," he says. "at's what the manufac- turers don't understand. ey say, 'Our site's really simple.' Well, we have to know 30 sites across suppliers and they're all different. And then even with our own site, if the salesman or whoever doesn't use a certain feature every day, it can be head scratching." Gee & Bee has benefited from online team stores online, but Heldman is uncomfortable seeing the whole process become automated. "ey try to make it easier for you. But in my opinion, you still have to have some controls as a dealer." Heldman likewise notes that online data is "only as good as the people putting it in and taking it out." Newer concerns arriving with technological advances include avoiding online scams, but Heldman doesn't see technology as a major threat to the dealer space. "Technology can only go so far," he says. "We're constantly seeing out-of-state inter- net-type companies trying to come into our state, using their technologies and spending to get their site to come up first in online searches. But you still need some customer service. You still need customer relations." Minden Athletic Supply, Minden LA, has found success opening with online team stores. "I was the number one naysayer back many years ago, but last month, we did more on it than we did here in the store," says Chris Williams, head manager. However, Williams says Minden Athletic doesn't rely heavily on technology overall, not only due to costs, but in many cases due to the value provided. He says: "In the end, somebody has to enter in the data. So, it's one of those things where I can write it down in a teaminsightmag.com September/October 2024 ~ Team Insight • 29

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